vision2020@moscow.com: the reciprocal nature of property rights
the reciprocal nature of property rights
Steve Cooke (SCOOKE@marvin.ag.uidaho.edu)
Wed, 15 Mar 1995 11:46:12 PST8PDT
On Tuesday it was stated that:
"The problem is defining an ability for someone with no economic or
vested interest to dictate to a private individual what he/she may
do."
I would interprete the "defining an ability" as the ability to
determine property rights. My understanding of property rights is
that they have two aspects. One aspect of a property right is to
allow individual or group A to be "free" or to exercise their
choice with the support of the state. The other, and less obvious,
aspect of a property right is that it allows individual or group B to
be coerced by the A's, also with the support of the state. I would
argue that every property right has these two aspect. Therefore,
to ask for the right to be free is to ask also for the right
to coerce others. The question is not whether we all
will be free or coerced but rather who will be free and who will be
coerced. The problem, then, is 'Whose interests count when interest
conflict?'. (This issue does relate to the definition of rich and
poor. To be poor is to be (completely) exposed to the costs of others'
freedom. To be rich is to be able to (completely) impose your costs on
others.)
(Freedom for the pike means death for the minnow. Isaah Berlin).
Steve Cooke
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