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This points to weaknesses in the concept of ownership.
by kaonashi 13y ago
This points to weaknesses in the concept of ownership.
- burntsushi 13y agoNot at all. Ownership as a concept is useful specifically for non-violent resolution of conflict over scarce resources. If something is neither scarce nor a resource, then some other construct needs to be used. (For example, in intellectual property law, the term "copyright infringement" is used instead of theft.)
- kaonashi 13y ago> Ownership as a concept is useful specifically for non-violent resolution of conflict over scarce resources. But you outlined precisely when it breaks down: when 'ownership' cannot be determined because the thing in question is a communal resource.
- burntsushi 13y agoThe economy is not a communal resource. It's an abstract concept referring to a collection of actors exchanging goods in a geographic region. It's not the concept of ownership that breaks down; it's your analogy that breaks down.
- kaonashi 13y agoThe money system is provided by the government. It is not abstract, is a very real arrangement of actors and conventions.
- burntsushi 13y agoYou didn't say money system. You said economy. Currency is certainly a scarce resource.
- kaonashi 13y agoNo, real resources are scarce. Money is anything but -- it is issued by fiat.
- burntsushi 13y agoThat's an obtuse remark. Money is a tangible object. That people give money value based on whatever reason is not relevant to whether it's scarce or not.
- kaonashi 13y ago> Money is a tangible object Money is an entry in a ledger. It can or cannot have a tangible manifestation (coins, bills), but it is not always the case (reserves are purely electronic).