Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site dciem.UUCP Path: utzoo!dciem!mmt 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 {allegra,linus,ihnp4,floyd,ubc-vision}!utzoo!dciem!mmt {uw-beaver,qucis,watmath}!utcsrgv!dciem!mmt