Edwin Dolan: applying the Lockean framework to climate change

Thank you, Prof. Block, for feeding our confirmation biases

TT`s Lost in Tokyo — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 02:42:24 GMT

Walter Block of Loyola University has graced the main LvMI blog with a rare post, this time a clipping

re: Edwin Dolan: applying the Lockean framework to climate change

TokyoTom — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 09:23:35 GMT

Stephen, thanks for your question.

Locke's premise is that all of the world was given to man in common by God. A more secular approach would be simply to recognize that man is, by virtue of intellect, ability to cooperate and by resulting technology, top dog and gets to decide how to carve up the world.

But actually man has gone through a process of gradually controlling resources (and excluding others) on a group basis (and many such "common property" regimes remain in place) and then towards private property. During Locke's time, there were many English commons, in which community residents had various customary (and legally recognized) rights to use. I believe that by his proviso he was making a shorthand reference to such rights, which limited the ability of any single member of the community to use the commons in way that damaged the rights of others.

Commons are also called "common pool resources". Some commons are very clearly defined, but then there are a mass of other resources that are open-access with no defined owners (the oceans and atmosphere), as well as resources that are socialized and bureaucratically mismanaged - and for such situations, where homesteading just hasn't occurred, I think Locke's proviso is worth considering.

Besides Dolan's discussion of Locke, here are a couple of other Misesean discussions on property rights:

mises.org/.../6_3_6.pdf

mises.org/.../19_2_1.pdf

With respect to remaining commons, it is clear we need to find property rights regimes, which might, particularly in the case of socialized property, involve the use of government to set rules:

www.cato.org/.../reg20n3f.html

Elinor Ostrom et al., Revisiting the Commons: Local Lessons, Global Challenges, Science 9 April 1999: conservationcommons.org/.../docu-wyycyz.pdf

www.cooperationcommons.com/.../361

re: Edwin Dolan: applying the Lockean framework to climate change

Stephen — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 05:32:23 GMT

I find the Lockean Proviso problematic. What is its justification. What specifically gives anyone "common-property" rights? And who holds them?

Nick Kristof on politics: why we conclude that I'm right, and you're evil

TT's Samurai Stumblings — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 02:11:11 GMT

Here's a very interesting piece by Kristof at the New York Times about the reactions of Obama and

Nick Kristof on politics: why we conclude that I'm right, and you're evil

TT's Samurai Stumblings — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 13:05:48 GMT

Here's a very interesting piece by Kristof at the New York Times about the reactions of Obama and

Climate change lawsuits: Does the difficulty of proving causation mean there is no harm?

TT's Samurai Stumblings — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:03:09 GMT

There is a new climate change lawsuit in US courts, this time by the Inuit inhabitants of an Alaskan

Thank you, Prof. Block, for feeding our confirmation biases

TT's Samurai Stumblings — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 06:50:32 GMT

Walter Block of Loyola University has graced the main LvMI blog with a rare post, this time a clipping

Escape from Reason: are Austrians conservatives, or neocons, on the environment?

TT's Samurai Stumblings — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 07:33:15 GMT

In their more considerate writings, Austrians have counseled a cool, rational approach to environmental