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CIAO DATE: 03/02
Critical Review
G.A. Cohen on Self-Ownership, Property, and Equality
By Tom G. Palmer
Abstract
G.A. Cohen has produced an influential criticism of libertarianism that posits joint ownership of everything in the world other than labor, with each joint owner having a veto right over any potential use of the world. According to Cohen, in that world rationality would require that wealth be divided equally, with no differential accorded to talent, ability, or effort. A closer examination shows that Cohen's argument rests on two central errors of reasoning and does not support his egalitarian conclusions, even granting his assumption of joint ownership. That assumption was rejected by Locke, Pufendorf and other writers on property for reasons that Cohen does not rebut.