Possession and Private Property

Private Property is a species of Possession, which, as Hegel reminds, is the product of a process of Acquisition, of which there are two kinds--grasping and form-imposition, the former ephemeral, the latter permanent.  Now, in the case of the former, derivative devices function to maintain possession, some physical, e. g. a fence, some abstract, e. g. a deed, as well as a law that underwrites it.  But, as the physical examples illustrate, Possession has two dimensions--it keeps the object from leaving, and defends against acquisition from without.  Now, any codification that reinforces the status of a wife as the slave of a husband is an instance of the first dimension, whereas the concept of 'private' connotes exclusivity, and, hence, is an instance of the second dimension, i. e. it is a defense against any acquisition from without.  Hence, contrary to what Marx and Engels posit in the German Ideology, the family is not a foundational example of Private Property.