> it's impossible to establish a chain of custody for land ownership that doesn't involve theft
This is a big issue in some places, e.g. I've heard in South Africa, because of legal issues arising out of confiscation when apartheid ended. Not so much in the US. There are some disputes going back to deeds with native Americans but they're very rare.
> the government is the only thing that grants the land ownership claim, if there is no government than anyone can come along and kick you off your land
The government's authority is the only reason a theory of any private property can exist in the real world anyway. Unless we're talking about super abstract theories of private enforcement in anarchist philosophy or something. In the world we live in, no government means people take your stuff, whether it's land or not.
Yeah I'm talking about personal vs private property, generally defined by movability, so like a house itself is private but the land isn't
> Not so much in the US. There are some disputes going back to deeds with native Americans but they're very rare
I think you're only talking about disputes recognized in the courts, not the actual disputes over the whole land claim which have consistently been there historically
> In the world we live in, no government means people take your stuff, whether it's land or not
Seems like we agree on this point - land ownership comes from the govt who ultimately "owns" all the land (but still through theft or some random claim)
Do you mean because it's immobile?
> it's impossible to establish a chain of custody for land ownership that doesn't involve theft
This is a big issue in some places, e.g. I've heard in South Africa, because of legal issues arising out of confiscation when apartheid ended. Not so much in the US. There are some disputes going back to deeds with native Americans but they're very rare.
> the government is the only thing that grants the land ownership claim, if there is no government than anyone can come along and kick you off your land
The government's authority is the only reason a theory of any private property can exist in the real world anyway. Unless we're talking about super abstract theories of private enforcement in anarchist philosophy or something. In the world we live in, no government means people take your stuff, whether it's land or not.