The History of Self Ownership

Michael Heller joins the podcast to discuss his new book, Mine! How the Hidden Rules of Ownership Control Our Lives. This book explores the implicit social rules governing ownership. In brief, these rules are as follows:

1. Attachment ("it's mine because it's connected to something of mine")
2. Possession ("it's mine because I physically control it")
3. First-in-time ("it's mine because I was here first")
4. Labour ("it's mine because I worked for it")
5. Self-ownership ("it's mine because it came from my body")
6. Family ("it's mine because my grandfather left it to me")

We discuss these six rules with reference to many examples of how they play out in the modern world, from conflicts over airline seats to the rise and fall of Soviet communism.