3 ms·
Ownership rights and various kinds of access rights are not identical and often conflated. For example, if I own a water well, I don’t necessarily have the rig
by xpe 3y ago
Ownership rights and various kinds of access rights are not identical and often conflated.
For example, if I own a water well, I don’t necessarily have the rights to do whatever I want with it. Some jurisdictions might let me pump out as much water as I want, but even those will punish me for blatantly polluting it (one would hope).
What some people think of as something akin to “total ownership” — completely unlimited access — would be tantamount to putting one’s “rights” above everyone else’s. Even dictators usually have some limits on their power, whether by laws, norms, or geopolitical pressures.
- bigstrat2003 3y agoI would say that in your example, the well is really two things: the water table (which you don't own), and the pump you use to draw water (which you do own).