Property: A State of Mind

Property only exists after it is claimed. Let's use land as an easy example. Take all the people off the earth and it is a big ball of land floating through space; there is no property anywhere. Throw the people back on the earth and they will walk around in search of a place to settle; there is still no property. When someone finds a piece of land he likes, he claims it and then property comes into existence. It is then up to him to give the property the amount of protection he feels it deserves. He could allow people to come and go freely, or he could set up precautions to try to keep them out. If anyone approached that he deemed to be an intruder, he would need to fight them off or have his property damaged or taken away. This applies to all kinds of property. If anyone creates a work of art, or innovates some new invention, it is not property unless it is claimed and protected.