John:
I am reminded of Robert Nozick's essay "Parents and Children," in his
collection The Examined Life, in which he gives arguments for the
position that you can only bequeath what you have not inherited
yourself. What you have received through bequests goes to the
community at the time of your death.
May be there are special features of intellectual property that --
even if it does not go all the way with Proudhon -- would imply that
intellectual property goes to the community when you die, even if you
have created this property yourself. One such feature could be that
an act of intellectual creation depends on a shared and rich language
and a background of shared knowledge.
Best, Zeno Swijtink
>Dear Zeno
>
>Thanks in abundance for this.
>
>What a lovely translation!
>
>That thought raises, again, my ponderings over the concept of 'intellectual
>property'.
>
>Clearly, both Immanuel Kant and the translation of Beck have immense value
>in bringing truths into our consciousness, and, yet, those truths preceded
>their dis-cover-y and, so, I wonder if Proudhon's dictum / observation /
>dis-cover-y / re-vealation that:
>
> 'All property is theft'
>
>again applies?
>
>Perhaps I inch (or centimetre?) towards a concept of 'co-operative
>stewardship' of 'property' (tangible and/or intellectual) rather than the,
>present notion of 'private property' ?
>
>Ho um
>
>hugs
>
>j
>
