Property and Moral Responsibilities: Some Reflections on Modern Catholic Social Theory

Professor Eric Claeys’s forthcoming book, Natural Property Rights, offers a deep perspective on property rights principles. However, while the law tends to focus—as I believe it must—on rights, are inextricably intertwined with duties or responsibilities. The natural framework for is, as Claeys says, “good enough government work.” It reflects principled way allocate and use protect them.
 is necessary look beyond what desirable through law. Other sources propose parameters reasoned of an emphasis duties. Catholic social tradition moral responsibilities that accompany rights. This not substitute their robust legal protection. Rather, supplement legally defined stressing correlative come those paper argues more focus there rights-based view from perspective, important at frameworks promote healthy holistic vision property. Modern theory just such framework.