The Noblest Triumph: Property and Prosperity Through the Ages by Tom Bethell (PDF)

Description

In The Noblest Triumph, Tom Bethell looks at the history of property rights and shows that the key role played by the institution of private property has been misunderstood by Western elites for more than a century. Beginning with the ancient Greeks and arriving at the present day, Bethell looks at basic ideas about property found in the writings of Plato, Adam Smith, Blackstone, Bentham, Marx, Mill, and others. He shows that the institution of property is inextricably tied to traditional conceptions of justice and liberty, and he argues that prosperity and civilization can only arise where private property is securely held by the people. The Noblest Triumph is an indispensable book for anyone interested in this fundamental aspect of civilization and the progress of humankind through the ages.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review “…bold and unconventional…” –Richard Pipes, Commentary”Bethell’s book is enjoyable…learned and amusing…” –New York Times Book Review”…a marvelous, wide-angled look at the concept of property rights.” –Library Journal”…wide-ranging and elegantly written…” –Wall Street Journal From the Publisher “Bethell’s book is enjoyable…learned and amusing…” –The New York Times Book Review “…wide-ranging and elegantly written…”–Wall Street Journal “…bold and unconventional…” –Richard Pipes, Commentary “An intellectual milestone” –Hernando de Soto “Mr. Bethell has written a clear, cogent book that both sums up and advances our knowledge of property. In learning and suggestiveness, The Noblest Triumph is a triumph indeed.” –Chronicles About the Author Tom Bethell is the Washington, DC correspondent for The American Spectatorand a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. Read more

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Most folks know about the Whig version of history, namely, that they created lies. Well, the progressives in America did and do similar. Back in the day the Founders chanted, “Life, Liberty, Property”. Under the lies of the Progressives, the status of property was depreciated. The author describes a long history of property building to his conclusion that it is a fundamental human value and right. He quotes with approval the fellow who noted that property is the right that secures all of our other rights. I think he proves his case against the facile law professors or the BLM apologists whose view of property is that “it is insured”. I wish I had read this book earlier in my life.

⭐The point in Tom Bethell’s excellent book that struck me most was his discussion of experiments in abolishing private property. Well, yes, we all know that with the exception of religious orders, they have uniformly come to bad ends–from the Oneida community to the Israeli kibbutzim to the Soviet Union. The striking point was that these socialist utopian communities and theories also attempted to abolish religion and the family.Now, you don’t have to be an anthropologist or a theologian to suspect that these utopians were in their common hostility identifying fundamental elements of human nature, or as the Founders put it, that men are endowed by their creator with rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.As the discussion of utopian theories and communities indicates, the Noblest Triumph is an intellectual history of the idea of property as well as a history of the human consequences of the ways different societys have made it more or less secure. Bethell makes clear that the assault on property is far from over. In fact the age of private property has been in decline since about the time that Jeremy Benthem called it man’s “noblest triumph”, as theorist after theorist has tried to deconstruct it and separate it from its roots in human nature. Marx, of course, declared against historical evidence that the legal system was inevitably determined by economic relationships, and then proposed that economic relationships be reformed by changing the law.In this respect Bethell is, especially for a writer, curiously soft on protecting intellectual property–a topic that is in the information age only in the early stages of development. Granted the difficulties in actually retaining control of intellectual property, it is surprising to find him arguing against giving it the same protections as any other forms of property. It is an argument that I find unpersuasive.Aside from that, Bethell recreates how step by mendacious step our legal system has been changed to diminish the rights of ownership, through taxation, regulation, and tort law. It is a chilling story, but recommending it to public officials, elected or unelected, will do little good. They are the principal agents and beneficiaries of these changes; they would probably take the sad tale as a matter for self-congratulation.

⭐Tom Bethel has brilliantly and succinctly explained why the Constitution’s protection of man’s private property rights is indeed our Noblest Triumph. Prayerfully, our next President will realize this truth. If not, I fear “Progressives” will destroy individual wealth and in the process destroy this blessing from our Creator. Stalin, Hitler, Mao and countless minor depots have tried really hard to “make socialism work” and failed. Tom bethel explains why they and Modernity’s “progressives” are on a fool’s errand. This book is a “must read” for anyone claiming to be a student of history or political thought.

⭐Nothing demonstrates the ignorance of the last generation of legal theorists about property than the Supreme Court decision of Kelo v. New London. That this decision could have been made after publication of Bethell’s Noblest Triumph is surprising. Bethell does an outstanding job of explaining the history and theories of property in a very readable manner, even though his book is worthy of being required reading for college courses. To avoid the horrible results that Justice O’Conner correctly foresees from Kelo, this book should be required reading for all college students through summer reading programs, if colleges still have such programs.

⭐Excellent book. I must add that the Publisher’s Weekly review is mistaken about the book’s discussion of China. There is a very thorough discussion of China, Mao’s communist regime, the resulting famines, and how the re-establishment of property rights led to its present economic growth. The whole story of China, as told by Tom Bethel, strongly supports the role of private property in creating prosperity. It remains an authoritarian state, but the important issue is private property, which China has.

⭐This is one of the best books I’ve ever read.

⭐This book is very insightful. As previous reviewers have mentioned, there are numerous examinations of the application of property rights and lack thereof throughout history.However, though his central thesis is on the necessity of property, even Bethell admits that sometimes property rights do not work as efficiently as they should (in the case of intellectual property). He puts forth an idea or two on the why, but that topic is not examined further than a chapter.I sat on this review for months, because I felt like that piece of the analysis of property rights was missing. Then, I had my a-ha! moment. I read “Gridlock Economy”, which is essentially an examination of the how and why property rights can become an inefficient solution. I would recommend reading that book, along with this, in order to have a thorough and (mostly!) complete understanding of property rights.

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