Mine, Yours, Ours: The Philosophy of Property and Possession
This course explores the conceptual and historical foundations, moral justifications, and political implications of property and ownership. The seminar examines how different philosophical traditions understand what it means to own something, whether ownership and the current distribution of property might be justified, and how individual claims relate to collective or common forms of possession. The course also touches upon the novelty and difficulty of these questions in the context of user data and AI. Central questions include: What does it mean to say something is “mine” and is it the same as to say “I own it”? What kinds of things can or should be owned? How do property regimes shape freedom, identity, and social order? The goal is to give students a rigorous philosophical grasp of property as a normative, metaphysical, and political category.
Prof. Dr. Jens Harbecke
Als Inhaber des Lehrstuhls für Theoretische Philosophie und Philosophie der Sozialwissenschaften bin ich Mitglied sowohl des Departments für Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) als auch des Departments für Psychologie und Psychotherapie. In meiner Forschung befasse ich mich mit konstitutiven, mechanistischen und computationalen Erklärungen in den Sozial- und Kognitionswissenschaften. Weitere Schwerpunkte meiner Arbeit liegen in der Philosophie des Geistes, der Metaphysik, insbesondere in theoretischen Fragen der Kausalität, sowie inkontrafaktischen und Regularitätstheorien der Verursachung. Seit meiner Zeit als Prodekan für Lehre der Fakultät für Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft befasse ich mich intensiv mit der Entwicklung der Hochschullehre in Zeiten von künstlicher Intelligenz. Zu dieser Thematik soll das Seminar einen Beitrag leisten.
Ziele & Kompetenzen
The seminar examines interconnected themes that illuminate the philosophical landscape of property and possession. We begin with a brief historical analysis of property in the Western tradition. Subsequently, the classical theories of property developed by thinkers such as Locke, Hegel, Kant, Hume, and Rousseau are examined and compared, as are contemporary accounts within utilitarian, libertarian, socialist, and egalitarian approaches. These theories frame discussions of reparations, restitution, and historical injustice. We then explore property’s role in shaping social order and power. The seminar concludes with contemporary debates on digital property, user data, and AI. By participating in this course, students gain a clear understanding of major theories of property and learn to critically evaluate competing justifications for ownership regimes. They develop the ability to analyze real-world disputes using philosophical tools, distinguish legal from moral arguments, and understand the social and political dimensions of ownership. Students acquire conceptual clarity, analytical and critical skills, and the capacity to apply philosophical frameworks to present-day conflicts. Written assignments and discussions further strengthen their ability to communicate complex ideas with precision and rigor.
Maximale Teilnehmendenzahl
30 Teilnehmer