Section 50
Original German
50 Daß, die Sache dem in der Zeit zufällig Ersten, der sie in Besitz nimmt, angehört, ist, weil ein zweyter nicht in Besitz nehmen kann, was bereits Eigenthum eines Andern ist, eine sich unmittelbar verstehende, überflüssige Bestimmung.
Musean translation
Machine-assisted Musean translation made directly from Hegel's German in the Berlin Nicolai first edition, dated 1821. Complete preface, introduction and sections 1–360, including the author's remarks and notes; no later Gans additions.
50 That a thing belongs to whoever takes possession of it first by a temporal contingency is a self-evident and superfluous determination, since a second person cannot take possession of what is already another's property.
Plain English translation
Independent machine-assisted Plain English translation made directly from the German first-edition source, not from the Musean edition or an existing English translation. Complete preface, introduction and sections 1–360 with the author's remarks and notes.
50 A thing belongs to the person who happens to be first in time to take possession of it. This provision is self-evident and unnecessary, since a second person cannot take possession of what is already someone else’s property.
About this section
Section 50 is part of Elements of the Philosophy of Right by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. This page sets the German original beside 2 direct-source translations, so any line can be checked against the source. It is section 52 of 362 in the work, which is kept in the European tradition.
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