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Old 11-30-2007, 05:49 PM
pvn pvn is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2004
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Default Re: Argh property rights debate

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The distinction is important, because if someone says they don't believe in property "rights" but will act to stop someone from taking their property then that's contradictory. If you believe that "people will just be generally better off" if you stop them from stealing, you also need to feel that you have a "right" to stop them in order to take action. This "right" can be interpretted as a property right.

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This is totally false. The easiest example to refute being that I can force my neighbor to stop abusing his kid. This does not imply that I believe I have a right to do it, it is just my own value judgment as far as what preferences of mine I am willing to use force to impose. Why is this concept difficult?

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But why do you prefer to use force here?

You could also use force to stop your neighbor from mowing his yard. Why didn't you use that as an example?

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Read again.

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You're not getting the point of my question. What makes one of these a case where you're willing to use force and the other not one? I'm guessing (hoping) there is a principle underlying this decision making process and you're not just arbitrarily picking on a case-by-case basis as you would when (eg) selecting what type of cheese to put on your burger each day.
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