Ownership has long affected our sense of self and worth. It has changed with the times but still affects us the same way as before. The famous philosopher, Plato, thought that “owning objects is detrimental to a person's character”. By examining the different types of ownership and evidence from historical to contemporary society, ownership correlates with one’s sense of self by either improving or diminishing it.
. It is impossible for any living organism to survive without owning anything. From insects to mankind, owning some sort of property, whether tangible or intangible, is our way of surviving. As the most complex of all living organisms, our expression and demands towards property and ownership vary numerously (LeFevre 1). In the “American Dream”, one of the main ideals is to be able to own a home or land. In August 2013, President Obama addresses the issues of modern economy and kick starts a new housing finance system. “Thanks to reforms of the financial system that cracked down on the most reckless practices that led to the housing crisis, responsible Americans can feel more confident and secure when they borrow money to purchase their own home” (Donovan). However, the mistake that many people make is seeing property as their home or land as itself and nothing more. What humans fail to acknowledge is that it is not just the property or object itself, it is the relationship that we attach ourselves to that object, “Property viewed as the object or objects of man's drive to own, is of far less importance than the drive itself” (LeFevre 2). Before being able to own property, the desire to strive and longingly want to own property must be prominent. Without it, no one would have the desire to own or even care to own anyth...
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...wledge the fact that no one is capable of owning them except themselves. Being able to know that you are the only person who is capable of making decisions for yourself is the only way to develop a true sense of self awareness.
Works Cited
Cooper, Mark N. Media Ownership and Democracy in the Digital Information Age: Promoting
Diversity with First Amendment Principles and Market Structure Analysis. California: Center for Internet & Society, Stanford Law School, 2003. Print.
Donovan, Shaun. “Promoting the American Dream of Homeownership” The White House.
The White House, 6 Aug. 2013. Web. 30 Nov. 2013. .
LeFevre, Robert. The Philosophy of Ownership. Colorado: Rampart College, 1966. Print.
Locke, John. The Second Treatise on Civil Government. New York: Prometheus Books, 1986.
Print.
Keli Goff declares in her article, The American Dream is Dead and Good Riddance, that the original American Dream is no longer on the minds of most Americans. She insists that most Americans no longer pursue the ideology of a nice house, educated children, and decent car that once fueled the ambitions of generations that have come and gone. A large number of people live alone in the U.S today with no children. With that being said, it’s statistically spoken that the dream is dying even though most of those loners want to direct their dream in the direction of a partner and children. Goff proceeds to ridicule the home ownership portion of the dream by pointing to a mortgage “meltdown” that came from the pursuit of home ownership by those who
It is often conceptualized that property is the rights of 'ownership'. In common law property is divided into real property, which is the interests in land and improvements there, and personal property, which are interests in anything other than real property. Personal property is divided into tangible property (such as a bike, car and clothse), and intangible property (such as bonds and stocks), which also includes intellectual property (copyrights, trademarks etc). The modern property rights conceive of possession and ownership as belonging to legal individuals, even if the individual is not a real person. Hence, governments, corporations and other collective forms of ownership are shown in terms of individual ownership.
Ownership is the act, state, or right of possessing something. Many people believe taking ownership is parallel to taking responsibility. In some cases, taking responsibility can be rewarding, but in other cases, it can be very self centered. According to Aristotle, ownership of tangible objects leads to develop moral character, even though it is not stated whether those morals are good or bad. Plato exaggerates how disparaging ownership can be to one's character and life. The affect ownership obtains on moral character is intensely detrimental.
In "Neighbor Rosicky", the notion of land ownership as a fundamental feature of the American Dream is most clearly set forth. Anton Rosicky is a Czech who experienced life as an immigrant both in London and New York City and found both lacking. Only in his life on the farm in Nebraska does he find peace and fulfillment.
It is one sad existence, to live and die, without discovering, what could have been. The question is often asked, what is the meaning of life? Or even, what is the purpose? There is no clear answer, and yet there is a search in every moment, every breath, and every corner, for a minute hint. In a societal setting, identity is merely determined by the amount of tangible things owned. Society places the ideology on individuals that those who own the most tangible things are above others. An individual can trump all those societal values by owning the self. This brings equality to all, and levels the playing field. This has been true throughout history, however behind all of this, there are individuals learning to conquer themselves. It begs the question, what defines a person, the physical or the metaphysical? There is obviously a compelling relationship between ownership and the sense of self or identity. But, is it ownership that determines the sense of self or is it perhaps, that the sense of self determines ownership. The
By observing people I know that if you own less you are more appreciative of things in life. Yet if you own more you desire more. Therefore you become a slave to your passions and lust, rather than an owner of your possessions.
In order to decide whether the term "owning" helps develop your moral character, you must first figure out what owning something means to you. To me, "owning something" applies to not only the tangible, like a shirt, but also the intangible, like knowing something so well you own it, or even owning a behavior.
To words meaning two different things have a way of relating to one another to create something new? Many things can be made to describe two simple words like ownership and identity. Ownership can be both tangible and intangible. When looking at how ownership relates to identity, people tend to look at aesthetic instead of how ownership builds moral character that leads to identity.
What is the relationship between ownership and self identity/development? This is a extremely complicated question. There are many theories trying to answer this question, such as, Plato 's claim the "owning objects is detrimental to a person 's character", whereas Aristotle argues that "ownership of tangible goods helps to develop moral character." To answer this question we must first ask, what is ownership? If this question is asked to friends, relatives, even strangers, we will receive many similar answers to this question. People will say something along the lines of, "the possession of an object" or "to be in control of something". However, we must then dive deeper into the question and ask ourselves, can we really possess an object if it can be taken
Let’s travel on the undesirable side of the deep-rooted topic. When I think of ownership and self/identity, I think of talent or skill. Musicians work well with this side of the spectrum. Musicians, pianists, like me, who have had intense classical training and consider themselves to be greater than anyone they know, run into undesirable arrogance and pretentiousness. I’ve found myself in various confrontations with fellow musicians upset with me because “I think I’m better than them”.
...ss is hard to qualify in a world where the acquisition of material goods masquerades for success. A home is a material object that exists within a concrete reality. It exists with its own qualities of a house built of materials that do change and degrade over time. The costs of homeownership are harder to dismiss when one becomes disillusioned with the effects of a lack of attention to those costs.
Having a house and having a home used to coincide. Families used to live in the same house for generations, but now the sentimental value of having a house has changed. As Quindlen puts it, “There was a time when where you lived often was where you worked and where you grew the food you ate and even where you were buried. When that era passed, where you lived at least was where your parents had lived and where you would live with your children when you became enfeebled” (Quindlen 215). However, over time even that changed. Now we have grown to live in a house and then move on like it was nothing. Sentimental value for a house has dwindled. Quindlen demonstrates that “suddenly, where you lived was where you lived for three years, until you could move on to something else and something else again” (Quindlen 215). However, for those without a house, they would give anything to have that sentimental feeling that used to come with having a house. But that’s just the problem; for most a house and a home no longer coincide. We can own a house but not have a home, or vice versa. After all, “Home is where the heart is. There’s no place like it” (Quindlen 214). People can have a home without having a house. A home simply means having a family,
For many people, housing is more than a shelter; additionally it provides for and helps families meet many of their needs for safety and security, social interaction and self-esteem (Merrill, Crull, Tremblay, Tyler, & Carswell, 2006; Schwartz, 2006) cited by Andrea Lynn Bentzinger, (2009). Although it is known that homeownership is sought after by most families, and thought to have more positive outcomes for the household and the community, questions remain regarding the actual benefits of becoming a homeowner, especially for low-income families Shlay, (2006) cited by Andrea Lynn Bentzinger,
Buying and owning your home is part of the American dream. Although the dream itself has since changed, the home still remains the main focal point. Today owning a home doesn’t necessarily mean a house. People now buy duplexes, cooperative apartments, and condominiums. For some families it could take up to a couple of generations before it’s able to have the capabilities of buying a home. To many people it means a certain achievement that only comes after years of hard work. It is a life altering decision and one of the most important someone can make in their lifetime. The reasons behind the actual purchase could vary. Before anything is done, people must understand that it’s an extraneous process and it is a long term project.
An intense relationship exists between ownership and sense of self. For many years, philosophers have explored what ownership means. Does it include only tangible goods or does it extend beyond items to include tangible things as well? As twentieth-century philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre proposed, I also believe that ownership of intangible things such as one’s actions, thoughts, ideas, and skills are more directly involved in developing one’s sense of self. Humans are constantly changing beings. Therefore, one’s true identity cannot be found through what they physically own; it can only be discovered from what goes through their head and their heart each day.