This is a short audio where L. Peikoff suggests that self-ownership is a non-concept because it implies a relationship between you and something. However, I find many Rand quotes that contradict this position.
"Without property rights, no other rights are possible." and "If a producer does not own the result of his own effort, he does not own his life." I agree that owning oneself is not axiomatic, but it is derived from Rand based on the fact you are a rational animal. Locke recognized this in formulating natural rights. First, if we say Man, due to his unique nature, has a right to life (as Peikoff says). well, this doesn't get you very far. ok-you have a right to life. so what? But if we say, as Rand says, you own yourself, it includes the right to your life-but it includes much more: the right to the products of your mind, it explains the source of property rights, who has legitimate property rights, why you can contract, why most of our common/criminal law exists. What say you?
p.s. please, for the purposes of this post, let's not discuss religious concepts of God given rights.

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