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From: gsmith@garnet.berkeley.edu (Gene W. Smith)
Newsgroups: alt.individualism
Subject: Re: MY :-) stereo
Message-ID: <1990Jan19.100315.28073@agate.berkeley.edu>
Date: 19 Jan 90 10:03:15 GMT
References: <2310@odin.SGI.COM> <12569@phoenix.Princeton.EDU> <2356@odin.SGI.COM> <1990Jan13.090428.25775@agate.berkeley.edu> <2818@odin.SGI.COM> <8ZggXmy00W0TM96LF=@andrew.cmu.edu> <2847@odin.SGI.COM> <21673@unix.cis.pitt.edu> <2908@odin.SGI.COM> <13029@phoenix.Prin
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In-reply-to: pkr@maddog.sgi.com (Phil Ronzone)

In article <2949@odin.SGI.COM>, pkr@maddog (Phil Ronzone) writes:

>You setal my car for a real emergency trip to hospital, it's theft,
>but I would understand. Make restitution. Take my car often or for
>non-emergencies, you got big time trouble.

  What kind of trouble? Would you call the police? If you did,
then it seems to me you are buying into the social contract to
that extent at least. Can you now claim taxation is
theft, etc.?

  But if you would not call the police, what would you do? You
aren't really in a position to cause "big time trouble". It seems
to me your position (my property is whatever I say it is) is
tenable if you have superhuman powers and don't *need* a social
contract. But you don't have superhuman powers.

  Nor can you make cars and stereos by yourself. You acquire them
by playing a part in a very complex society which *can* make cars
and stereos. Your stereo is not like Crusoe's parasol, and your
claim to it as an autonomous individual without reference to
society seems preposterous to me. It is "yours", but by yourself
you can neither acquire it nor keep it.
--
ucbvax!garnet!gsmith    Gene Ward Smith/Brahms Gang/Berkeley CA 94720
"A good punch in the nose IS often effective communication"-- Ken Arndt