The concept of ownership

Stollard, Sorley John Rosborough (2024) The concept of ownership. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

There is no universally accepted definition of ownership, and this is a problem. This thesis explores this claim and then explains how a truly universal definition can be given with an analogy to MacCallum’s analysis of freedom. It will then explain the distinction between de facto and legitimate ownership before going on to present universal descriptions of both.

Having given the universal description of legitimate ownership this thesis will then demonstrate how Kant’s conception of ownership can be accommodated by it, before going on to use it to describe and analyse several conceptions of self-ownership and of intellectual property. Finally, this thesis will demonstrate how the universal description can be used as an evaluative tool by identifying split justifications within conceptions. This thesis will conclude with a summary and suggestions for further research.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > B Philosophy (General)
• Colleges/Schools: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Humanities > Philosophy
• Supervisor's Name: Colburn, Professor Ben
• Date of Award: 2024
• Depositing User: Theses Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:2024-84615
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 09 Oct 2024 14:05
• Last Modified: 09 Oct 2024 14:06
• Thesis DOI: 10.5525/gla.thesis.84615
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/84615