Time for some cognitive dissonance. The following occurred to me as a reductio ad absurdum against the idea of justice through property rights. Imagine a scenario which is, in practice, highly unlikely, though conceivable. Suppose a man homesteaded every piece of land or perhaps acquired it all through voluntary exchange. In any case, he has justly acquired it. Now suppose that he commands (justly, because it is his property) that he wishes to be the only one on his property and commands every human to leave his property or else they will be punished for trespassing, perhaps by being shot or something of the like. It would be an illegitimate invasion of his property rights for people to refuse his wish. This scenario would obviously spell disaster for the entire human race. In lesser degrees, in principle, this action can have the same effects to a lesser extent. Thus, the idea of property rights can be considered, to a certain extent, harmful to the human race and absurd from a utilitarian perspective. Fiat justitia ruat caelum. Mr. Green
Posted on: Mon, 16 Sep 2013 20:46:52 +0000
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