Since Roman times, it has been held that certain resources, such as air and water, cannot and should not be privately owned, but instead held “in common.” While the idea of “the commons” is plausible—applying property rights to moving resources is complex—“the commons” is a package deal that attempts to unite disparate concretes. Today’s commons movement equates the man-made with the metaphysical, including such values as infrastructure, software, and education as a part of “the commons.” The goal of the movement is the obliteration of property rights.
On November 17, 2012 I delivered a talk to the Houston Objectivism Society titled “The Theory and Dangers of ‘The Commons’.”
[flowplayer src=’http://www.houstonobjectivism.com/videos/Commons1.MP4′ width=576 height=306]
[flowplayer src=’http://www.houstonobjectivism.com/videos/Commons2.MP4′ width=576 height=306]
[flowplayer src=’http://www.houstonobjectivism.com/videos/Commons3.MP4′ width=576 height=306]
[flowplayer src=’http://www.houstonobjectivism.com/videos/Commons4.MP4′ width=576 height=306]
[flowplayer src=’http://www.houstonobjectivism.com/videos/Commons5.MP4′ width=576 height=306]
[flowplayer src=’http://www.houstonobjectivism.com/videos/Commons6.MP4′ width=576 height=306]