Property Assignment 1

For Property Assignment 1 I selected the passage from Aristotle which was taken from Book 2, part 3 of a series called “Politics” written in 350 B.C.E.  

The first sentence, “That which is common to the greatest number has the least care bestowed upon it.” refers to concept that if a resource which is common to a large segment of the population is not owned or regulated, then it will not be properly taken care of and eventually this lack of care can lead to the demise of the resource.  Aristotle goes on to say that with a common, unowned, unregulated, shared resource, people will only be concerned with their own needs and interest without regard to the needs of others or the preservation of the common resource.

During my research for this assignment I came across an article titled “The Tragedy of the Commons” written by Garrett Hardin on June 25, 1968. There was mention of a concept called Creative Commons. I remember learning about that from the Aaron Swartz story. Arron Swartz played a significant role in the development of Creative Commons which is a project that remains significant today. It’s a suite of licenses that artists, writers, and other creators can use to enable sharing, remixing, and collaboration.

Creative Commons relates to the Aristotle passage in that someone can have ownership of intellectual property but at the same time it can be shared by others but not used for the purpose of monetary gain but for the good on many.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/08/aaron-swarts-work-internets-own-boy

The internet is a shared resource that everyone has access to but not everyone has control over it. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are primarily concerned with control over the internet so that they can increase their profits and minimize competition. "Net neutrality," is the concept that everyone with an Internet connection should have equal access to all legal content online. ISPs that also provide cable TV service want to decrease internet speed for services such as Netflix and Hulu that they compete with. This relates to Aristotle’s passage in that companies such as Comcast want to control and monopolize a common resource without regard to the common good of all but only to minimize competition and increase their profits

http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Local/2014/11/11/Pros-and-cons-Net-neutrality-and-the-Internet-as-a-utility

The internet has simultaneously been described as a modern wonder and a cesspool. Obviously these are two extreme ends of the spectrum. In the previously mention article titled “The Tragedy of the Commons”, misuse of a resource such as the sea in relation to over fishing is mentioned. If no one owns a commonly used resource that we all rely upon, the users may be inclined to only take for themselves without regard for the common good of the resource and the needs of others. This brings forth the question of whether or not a government should regulate the internet and to what degree.

https://www.hg.org/internet-law.html