From: mwaser@cox.net
Date: Thu Apr 17 2008 - 09:28:27 MDT
> Haven't we shown, through numerous experiments on a huge scale, that
> communism doesn't work? All of human civilization was built by
> incentives- people build things because it's better to build them than
> to not build them.
Yes, we have. I'm not arguing to eliminate incentives. That would be silly.
> Once you abolish private property, you destroy all
> of those incentives, because everyone can just take whatever it is
> that you've built.
Unless, of course, you replace them with more rational incentives. The biggest problem with the way private property is implemented currently is that those who have the most private property are *NOT* those who have done the work and deserve it. Private property (as currently implemented) *STINKS* as a rational incentive system (as well as leading to all sorts of unfairness and evil).
The tragedy of the commons is entirely due to the irrationality of how we mentally handle property and property ownership and believe that just because we aren't *owners* of something that we have no incentives to treat it with respect.
Mark
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