On 20/09/2011 22:24, Fons Adriaensen wrote:
..
Wow. How far back in time does this arrangement go? Which came first -
the individual, or the society?
That doesn't really matter. If a number of individuals interact
you have a society. Once that happens, things are 'yours' only
because the others agree the are. Such agreements arise because
they bring mutual benifit.
Interesting choice of words. You say "agree", I would say "recognise".
Do "they" put it to a vote? My thoughts (which you appear to equate with
"things") are my own, and if I choose to share them with anyone else
that is my choice, and their privilege.
The alternative is living isolated, or having to physically
protect and defend your 'property' all the time, which sort
of defeats the purpose.
What purpose is that? Who decides what the purpose is?
Unfortunately, not all societies are so "enlightened". The days where
one needed no lock on one's front door are long gone; if they ever
really existed much anyway. I have been burgled three times, by
individuals (aka "society" according to you) who clearly did not "agree"
that my Tannoy DC200 dual-concentrics, or my gold signet ring with the
family seal on it inherited from my father, belonged to me. Am I now
supposed to "agree" that they really owned them all along? Seems to me
there are plenty of people around who would treat my thoughts in the
same way, if they could. Perhaps a few of them are even on this list.
You just can't slap a GPL licence on a person and call it "natural".
Richard Dobson
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