The noblest triumph

by Tom Bethell

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 over a century. Beginning with the ancient Greeks and arriving at the present day, Bethell looks at basic ideas about property found in 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.