I hold that institutions of property relations to mass-energy are essential for regulating peaceful interactions among sophonts comprised, themselves, of mass-energy. Just as I have the right to say “This is my aorta, and I will shoot you if you try vigorously enough to deprive me of my use of it,” I hold that I also have the right to say “This is my atom, my molecule, my widget, my asteroid, and, should my claim achieve social legitimacy by virtue of my homesteading and non-abandonment, shoot you if you try vigorously enough to deprive me of my use of it.”

By looking at this cookie cutter, you hereby agree that should you ever make a cookie in the shape of a revolver for other than your personal use, it'll be okay for me to shoot you.

I also hold, in direct opposition to intellectual “property”, that patterns are information, and that information cannot be a subject of legitimate property. Information is intangible and infinitely replicable. By extracting the information pattern from a physical subject of legitimate property — a DVD, a book, a widget — and then using that information for my own purposes, I deprive nobody of their property. Steal my DVD, my book, my widget, and I have grounds to resist that action by any means, up to and including the application of lethal force. Take a stab at expropriating my aorta and I’ll fight you to the death, and expect my neighbors to come to my aid.

In a truly free society, in a freed market, I hold that an inventor has a moral right to credit for that output of their mind which has enough social value to be replicated. If Kevin invents a fantastic new potato-slicer and Bob copies the device and runs around marketing it as his own creation, Bob is a jerk and ought to be treated as such. However, if Kevin now comes along and tries to shoot Bob for doing this, Kevin is a criminal, and I and other free people will come to Bob’s aid in repelling Kevin’s attack.

See also the terms of use for this website at “… and you agree“.

Purchase the revolver cookie cutter from Cakes Cookies & Crafts Shop.

Murray Rothbard’s classic essay from The Libertarian Forum in 1969, available as a scan of the newsletter at mises.org and worked up into a handout from invisiblemolotov.com.

Consistent libertarians support the revolutionary redistribution of property

No audio intro this time. 12 minutes, 13MB. Cat was on the rampage during recording.

Download:

Confiscation and the Homestead Principle.mp3