For another example, consider a situation in which a man in New York wishes to buy a piece of land outside of London, England.

It isn't even necessary for him to cross the ocean.  He can arrange with his broker to buy the land for him.

After the land has been purchased, it almost certainly is not going to be hauled across the ocean (although entire castles have indeed on occasion been purchased and transported in this way).

In fact, in the above example the purchaser may never see the land he has purchased, nor ever set foot upon it.  He may never even meet nor even speak to the present owner.

How does the seller of the property in England then make the sale and receive his payment?

It happens this way.  The purchaser notifies his bank that he is ready to relinquish his claim to a certain sum of money that he has on deposit (such as happens when an individual writes a check).  The banker notifies his counterpart in England that transfer is to be made. 

The banker in England does some accounting proceedures and when confirmation of the money transfer is complete, the banker records the money as being credited to the seller's account with the bank, adding it to other monies the seller already has deposited there. 

Having confirmed reciept of the money in his account, the seller or his agent sends a document to the buyer that declares the buyer to be the new owner of the property.

All that happens in this case is an exchange of credits.  Nothing but paper or electronic impulses need cross the ocean.

All transfers of ownership are no more than the moral transfer of respective claims of ownership to the properties in question. 

This would not be possible if we had not evolved far enough as human beings to make ownership, and thus moral control of property, possible.

But how did property ever come to be owned in the first place?

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