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Plato, Aristotle, and Locke on the accumulation of wealth and natural law

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  • José Luis Cendejas Bueno

    (Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, Madrid (Spain))

Abstract

The possibility of a growing accumulation of wealth, what we now refer to as economic growth, was something already considered by Plato, Aristotle and Locke, under the concept of chrematistics. In this paper we show how the economic thinking of these authors cannot be fully understood without considering the intimate relationship they establish between politics and property accumulation. In addition to continuities and ruptures in the arguments, there can be seen a growing understanding of the phenomenon of economic growth in such a way that, when we arrive at Locke, an evident paradigm shift can be appreciated. This change is rooted in the contributions of scholastic thinking for which the acquisition of property through human labour or industry enjoys legitimacy according to natural law.

Suggested Citation

  • José Luis Cendejas Bueno, 2024. "Plato, Aristotle, and Locke on the accumulation of wealth and natural law," The Journal of Philosophical Economics, Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies, The Journal of Philosophical Economics, vol. 17(1), pages 18-47, Annual.
    • Handle: RePEc:bus:jphile:v:17:y:2024:i:1:n:2
    DOI: 10.46298/jpe.11552
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. José Luis Cendejas Bueno, 2021. "Justice and just price in Francisco de Vitoria's Commentary on Summa Theologica II-II q77," The Journal of Philosophical Economics, Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies, The Journal of Philosophical Economics, vol. 14(1-2), pages 1-32, November.
    2. Barry Gordon, 1975. "Economic Analysis before Adam Smith," Palgrave Macmillan Books, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-1-349-02116-1, December.
    3. Sreenivasan, Gopal, 1995. "The Limits of Lockean Rights in Property," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780195091762.
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    JEL classification:

    • B40 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Economic Methodology - - - General
    • A12 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Relation of Economics to Other Disciplines
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

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