[Gllug] Uh oh, ministers consider "anti file-sharing laws"

[John G Walker]

On Fri, 26 Oct 2007 08:36:46 +0100 Nix <nix at esperi.org.uk> wrote:

> On 26 Oct 2007, Chris Bell told this:
> 
> > On Fri 26 Oct, Nix wrote:
> >
> >> 
> >> The very concept of ownership is a human social construct with no
> >> foundation in the reality of physics. These little magic tags that
> >> say `I own that, you own this' don't actually exist outside human
> >> minds and human constructs.
> >> 
> >    There are plenty of other animals that would argue against that,
> > even if they are unable to speak any human language.
> 
> Well, yes, OK, some other animals have analogous constructs. I don't
> think their concepts of property are recognized under the law, though.
> 

Actually, non-human animals do not have the concept of property in the
sense we're talking abut it. As Adam Smith pointed out, it's only
humans who have a 'propensity to truck and barter'.

The assumption in this discussion is that property is something that
can be alienated, that can be sold, taken or given away, and something
to which you can claim a right. This is not generally true (especially
the selling and rights bits) with, say, an animal's territory,

-- 
 All the best,
 John
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