Re: David Schmidz of U. of Arizona on Property Rights

Jackson — Tue, 02 May 2006 17:07:39 -0000

This really isn't surprising at all -- scarcity is a fundamental attribute of "property," and where there is not scarcity, there is no need for property.

So the key question is, then: are ideas scarce? I would argue that they are not, in fact, that it is impossible for them to be scarce.

Re: David Schmidz of U. of Arizona on Property Rights

MikeT — Tue, 02 May 2006 13:31:26 -0000

Actually, it makes perfectly good sense. There was something on TCSDaily.com talking about an "egalitarian instinct" in these societies. It would make sense that when there was plenty, they would share, but when scarcity becomes a real factor they would assert private property rights. It's just a way of preventing free riding.

I am curious to know whether he had the chance to critique their nuances in their views of property. Is it possible that they might have always asserted property rights in principle, but simply not enforced them because of other cultural factors during good times? That would seem more likely to me, but I'm just guessing and don't even pretend to know the answer to that one.

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Re: David Schmidz of U. of Arizona on Property Rights

Re: David Schmidz of U. of Arizona on Property Rights