There has been a subtle yet significant shift in Americans’ understanding of private property, particularly among millennials who wish to share rather than own goods and services. Why own an automobile when you have Uber and Lyft? Who needs a DVD box set when you can stream movies and shows? This trend, combined with changes driven by the internet and new technologies, has fostered a “collaborative economy” where “sharing” and “access” have supplanted the older values of ownership and private property.
Many young people might be unaware that this impulse for “sharing is caring” can be traced back to the Socratic desire for a “higher vision” that is free of strife, competition, and discord. In the Republic, Socrates proposes that private property should be abolished because this arrangement will allegedly eliminate conflicts that destroy political communities. According to Socrates, when people possess private property there are disputes over who owns what and how things should be used. By contrast, abolishing the concept of ownership will supposedly result in a peaceful, amiable, and virtuous society.
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