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>intellectual property A concept invented by and for lawyers. Call it imaginary property.

by NaturalPhallacy 5y ago

SpicyLemonZest 5y ago
I don't think that it's productive to make up snarky names for concepts I don't like.
- pixl97 5y ago
  In this particular thread that is exactly what it is. A fiction to transfer wealth nearly tax free.
  - roenxi 5y ago
    Imagine that there are two opposing views of a subject and then a big middle ground of people who don't care. If the middle ground uses a term to describe a thing, then the wings have to use it as well. Or there has to be a real push by someone spending a lot of money on advertising to recast the concept. If someone goes around at the individual level making a thing of talking about "imaginary property" they are just going to look like an isolated crank. It isn't helpful.
    - biehl 5y ago
      On the other hand, when the attention of the middleground people is on exactly the aspect of the concept that one wishes to highligt, then that seems like the right time to highligt. Tax-evasion done by money-transfers based on fictional value attributions of something. Seems exactly like "imaginary property" to me.
      - roenxi 5y ago
        You can try. But the likely outcome is you'll spend a lot of time defending picking emotive word choices and the conversation is going to get distracted from substantive arguments.
    - breck 5y ago
      > to recast the concept I agree with both of you. I think the concept has to be recast, and that's going to be a very hard thing to do. I think a lot of money and effort was spent to cast these things as "Intellectual Property" in the first place. However, it was on HN that I first saw the term "Imaginary Property", and I've seen that more and more lately. So there's hope. If usage of the term grows exponentially, it might happen.
okeuro49 5y ago
All property is imaginary. It's a human concept enforced by legal systems and force. (Talking as someone who likes the concept of private property).
- NaturalPhallacy 5y ago
  Physical property exists.
  - heurisko 5y ago
    Physical things exist, the fact that they are attributed to certain humans as property is a social construct.

>intellectual property A concept invented by and for lawyers. Call it imaginary property.

SpicyLemonZest 5y ago

I don't think that it's productive to make up snarky names for concepts I don't like.

pixl97 5y ago
In this particular thread that is exactly what it is. A fiction to transfer wealth nearly tax free.
- roenxi 5y ago
  Imagine that there are two opposing views of a subject and then a big middle ground of people who don't care. If the middle ground uses a term to describe a thing, then the wings have to use it as well. Or there has to be a real push by someone spending a lot of money on advertising to recast the concept. If someone goes around at the individual level making a thing of talking about "imaginary property" they are just going to look like an isolated crank. It isn't helpful.
  - biehl 5y ago
    On the other hand, when the attention of the middleground people is on exactly the aspect of the concept that one wishes to highligt, then that seems like the right time to highligt. Tax-evasion done by money-transfers based on fictional value attributions of something. Seems exactly like "imaginary property" to me.
    - roenxi 5y ago
      You can try. But the likely outcome is you'll spend a lot of time defending picking emotive word choices and the conversation is going to get distracted from substantive arguments.
  - breck 5y ago
    > to recast the concept I agree with both of you. I think the concept has to be recast, and that's going to be a very hard thing to do. I think a lot of money and effort was spent to cast these things as "Intellectual Property" in the first place. However, it was on HN that I first saw the term "Imaginary Property", and I've seen that more and more lately. So there's hope. If usage of the term grows exponentially, it might happen.

okeuro49 5y ago

All property is imaginary. It's a human concept enforced by legal systems and force. (Talking as someone who likes the concept of private property).

NaturalPhallacy 5y ago
Physical property exists.
- heurisko 5y ago
  Physical things exist, the fact that they are attributed to certain humans as property is a social construct.