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From: mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor)
Newsgroups: net.politics.theory
Subject: Re: What is a libertarian go[u]verment?
Message-ID: <1377@dciem.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 9-Feb-85 21:45:31 EST
Article-I.D.: dciem.1377
Posted: Sat Feb  9 21:45:31 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 9-Feb-85 22:21:18 EST
References: <421@klipper.UUCP> <627@unmvax.UUCP> 
Reply-To: mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor)
Organization: D.C.I.E.M., Toronto, Canada
Lines: 22
Summary: 


In this "theoretical" newsgroup, can I ask a question about libertarian
ideas?  This one has bothered me a bit, but net.politics didn't seem
the right place for it:

How is it possible to reconcile the ownership of property with maximizing
freedom?  I would have though that the availability of the property was
what counted, not the ability to exclude other people from its use.
This was at least one part of the cultural clash that occured when
Europeans started to "own" parts of N. America.  Previously, no-one
(except perhaps tribes/nations) had "owned" territory, and thus all
could use it.  That seems to me to be a more free situation (perhaps
not preferable, but at least more free).

Personally, I like to own some property, in order to be sure it is
available when I want it.  But I don't find it logical to argue that
I am more free when I can't use something owned by someone else.
-- 

Martin Taylor
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