Sunday, November 20, 2016

The Libertarian Delusion re Physical Possession and Ownership

This Libertarian article (here) insists that intellectual property is "different" from other kinds of claims of rights of exclusivity.

Let's test that hypothesis by considering land ownership.

On Monday morning billions of molecules of air rest above your farm.
Large clunks of top soil sit below them.
The flowers stand tall, proud and full of nectar.
All these things, you the farmer claim to be yours, yours alone.

Then on Tuesday a mighty wind comes.
Replaces the original air molecules with those stolen from nearby other farms.
Blows away some of your top soil and replaces it with that which belonged to others.
The bees come and rob you of the honey nectar oozing from "your" plants.
How dare they!
This is violence to your god given property rights!

But then you realize.
None of it was yours.
You merely have a claim to fictional lines drawn on a map.
Your ownership and tightfisted possession of all that resides within those lines is an illusion. An intangible. Gee. Just like IP rights.

(Click on image to hear colors of the wind)

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