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Without "legal fictions", what's to keep someone more capable than you to simply take it from you?

Laws don't keep people from taking tangible items, they only punish afterwards. The only thing that stops someone from taking something tangible from you is your ability to stop them. Nothing stops someone from making a copy of information they already have.

Think of all the "priests" throughout various cultures in history. Think of why encryption exists. Think of why the CIA and NSA exist.

Secret versus public knowledge. They are two entirely different things. This discussion is about intentionally published knowledge.

Wait, by (1) you mean if rape, murder, theft ever become the common case, it will be OK? You know, like when it happens during wars?

Even during war none of those is the common case. That's why we prosecute people for those crimes in times of war too. If those things actually become the common case, we can cross that bridge when we come it.

But you know what is rivalrous? The food, shelter and clothing creators need to live to create new works.

Yes sir, Mr Valenti!

Would you share here all your private information

Again, secret versus public.




> Laws don't keep people from taking tangible items, they only punish afterwards.

So now all laws are "legal fiction"?

> The only thing that stops someone from taking something tangible from you is your ability to stop them. Nothing stops someone from making a copy of information they already have.

And my point is, your ability to stop them, absent the so-called "legal fictions", is about as weak as a creator having their work ripped off. If you doubt this, ask yourself how many people in the world are more than capable of taking stuff away from you.

> This discussion is about intentionally published knowledge.

Actually, it's about control of information. You don't want your private data published because you fear it may harm you. Creators want to publish their works because they hope to profit from it. If you expect your "rights" to be respected even though little stops people (coughNSAcough) from taking it, why should creators not expect respect for theirs?

Essentially, most works are intentionally published with the expectation that something will be given back in exchange. Otherwise you might as well say people are "intentionally publishing" loaves of bread in supermarkets and you could just take them. (And since about 40% of supermarket perishables are wasted on the shelves anyway, hey, they're only about 60% rivalrous anyway!)

> Even during war none of those is the common case. That's why we prosecute people for those crimes in times of war too.

War is an atrocity precisely because this does become the common case. And that we (make feeble attempts to) prosecute for war crimes means that even then it's not OK.

> Yes sir, Mr Valenti!

I guess that means you think non-consensual sex is perfectly fine!

> Again, secret versus public.

What does that have to do with the "human nature to share"?


I guess that means you think non-consensual sex is perfectly fine!

If there is one thing anyone else reading along should take away from this discussion, it is that you wrote the above. It perfectly sums up the intellectual rigor of the arguments you've made here. And yes, that statement means I am done wrasslin' with a pig.


Apologies for pointing out the flaws in your "taking non-rivalrous things causes no harm" argument. Oink!




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