> everyman has a property in his person; this nobody has a right to but himself. The labor of his body and the work of his hand, we may say, are properly his -

> everyman has a property in his person; this nobody has a right to but himself. The labor of his body and the work of his hand, we may say, are properly his - John Locke Locke wrote this envisioning people producing a measured but fair output from their labor - growing food, making durable goods, etc - and the modest property and wealth that could be obtained from this effort. In modern times, the true value of goods and services is skewed drastically in favor of those that own means of production, increasing exploitation of those that don't. Locke saw the potential but then less fully realized problem of unlimited accumulation and concentration of property and wealth and he wrote the government should moderate this and more equally distribute wealth. Allowing one to fully control their wealth may increase innovation, but there are downsides to this without some controls in place to control dangerous unchecked accumulation of wealth. I disagree with the premise that "smartphones and steam engines" are a justification for this because they improve the human condition. They improve it for some, at a huge cost to others.