Ownership and self (identity) are commonly joined together under one thought: ownership can very well define a person’s identity. I believe that is to be true. It is possible to own something physically whether that is a phone, a computer, a car etc., or something that simply exists within our minds such as a thought (idea), a concept or whatever it may be. However, “To own” – a verb – doesn’t necessarily mean to own or have something, it also means to know something or that it is a part of you or “admit or acknowledge that something is the case or that one feels a certain way”- Google. Affluential philosophers have argued the various ways of how to express ownership and possession that shows its universality on this well rounded topic. It’s claimed that it builds up moral character and denounced by its undesirable and detrimental effects – good or evil. It is, in fact, that ownership and its intricacy builds both and individual self-comprehension and group- identity.
What comes to mind when some asks you, “What do you think ownership and identity mean? How are they related”? You like to think about a possession of some physical item, right? Let’s travel on the undesirable side of the deep-rooted topic. When I think of ownership and self/identity, I think of a 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”. To be frank, I get the idea in my head that I’m gifted on an instrument like no other, and I “own” that ...
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...e intricacies of life.
As is manifested through historical and modern day instances, both group-identity and sense of self can be enhanced through ownership. Having possession of some physical or mental thing can have a profound physiological effect on a person which seems irrational to say. But think about it: humans have evolved tremendously and have contributed to the making of this great world from nothing. From the renaissance period to the different industrial revolutions, humans have shaped the world. Coming from nothing to something really does shape the way humans process things. As we grow and develop our minds we being having connections to animate objects and augmenting ourselves through attaching to other things. If nothing else, our thoughts and languages must show it through this – difficulties enticing the indistinct complexity of the perception.
Many people in the world have a fairly concrete idea of what it means to own something. However, this concrete idea is often quite limited in the sense that it only encompasses the ownership of objects. Yet, a large number of philosophers have extended the reach of the term ownership, in a way that it encompasses skills and knowing something thoroughly. When confronted with this idea, many great thinkers throughout history have had contradicting viewpoints. Several of these thinkers include Plato, Plato’s pupil Aristotle, and modern philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre. All three of these brilliant philosophers had differing views of ownership. Plato argues that owning objects are detrimental to a person 's character, Aristotle claims that ownership
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
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.
It could be assumed that having is the normal orientation in which people live their life by in the modern societies of Europe or North America. Erich Fromm stated, "To acquire, to own, and to make a profit are the sacred and unalienable rights of the individual in the industrial society" (From 1976:57). Fromm is clearly explaining that to have and to own is the dominant norm and having is related to an individual. Being individualistic is inherent to having because only one can have ownership. If having is shared, it loses its individualistic characteristic. The having orientation is the belief that to be fulfilled in life is sole ownership over a physical object(s) or in-tangibles such as ideas, thoughts or in some cases people. To further explain, the having orientation of physical property, ownership over objects is the ability to hold, possess, and be in control of. Ownership of intangibles is more an abs...
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.
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
This experiment’s purpose was to study whether the owner of the possession controlled others’ access to their own possessions and how they got the information across to their peers. The primary hypothesis of the study was that if children know which toy is theirs and which one is their friends then children will claim ownership through verbal means, maintain possession, try to regain, and win conflicts over the toys they own because they understand ownership rights.
I own thirty six books that are all apart of a children's book series. Thirty six books about cats that live in a forest and have a religion. And I have read every single one. Despite how embarrassing this can be especially as a highschool student, they have shaped me as a person. Items that a person owns can influence them in more ways than one. For example owning pets helps people socialize with others and can help them overcome issues. Books people read can fill their mind with ideas they would have never thought of otherwise. Items people own can and often influence how a person is.
I take ownership to include unrestricted private use of an object. Of course my definition excludes the possibility of owning a
According to Aristotle, ownership of tangible goods can help to develop one’s moral character. I agree with his philosophy. Owning an object or other goods helps one to discover certain virtues, such as responsibility or purpose in caring for what you own. All objects you own, you must acquire, either through purchasing or through gift. Depending on how you acquire the object, defines its value, either monetary or sentimental. These different values help to develop one’s sense of self, as one grows as a person and develops one’s moral character. By learning these important skills, such as responsibility and purpose, one has a better understanding of oneself.
It seems to me that every living thing on this earth is born with a sense of knowing what personal possession is, like animals, when they know what toy or what human belongs to them. Even babies, no matter human or animal, they say as soon as a baby is born they know the smell, voice, and touch of their mothers. Besides being inborn in every living thing, the right to property probably began back in the cavemen era over 100,000 years ago, when humans lived as hunter and gatherers. They obtained private property, rights to food, tools, weapons, and habitation. Even though they say in history that the early humans lacked the intellect that was essential for language and abstract thinking, I think they knew they had a right to possessions such as the tools they used and created to kill, eat, and gather. These rights probably changed as society changed. People became more aware of the land they began with. Then as they developed the skills to cultivate and use the land for food is probably when it went from community use to individual use. “With more permanent settlement, populations grew, small communities formed, and these communities established governing bodies to overcome problems that typically arise with communal land: shirking and consumption. This development, according to Krier, was a product of human design, rather than evolutionary forces. Over the years, these small communities gave way to organized nation states and eventually to our modern-day world with its complex property regimes.”(
When thinking about Identity, it might be easy to just say that is “who we are”, or it’s just me. An identity is much more than that though. I like to think of it as a living puzzle. There are hundreds or thousands of pieces that come together to form the complete identity, or the complete “you”. I say living because an identity grows throughout the years and even changes depending on the situation. There is a multitude of influences that goes into forming a person’s identity some of which a person chooses and others they don’t. Family members and guardians are a primary source of learning when a child is young. As a person grows, the sphere of influence broadens to include mentors, media, and school. This identity is then a lens through which
Some of the most impoverished communities often have the greatest sense of gratitude and thankfulness for what they have, extending beyond material items. They are thankful for the friends, families, religions, as well as skills they obtain, and tend not to focus on the material items they are lacking. Ownership can be seen as the act, state, or right, of possessing something and is well defined by both Plato, who claims owning objects is detrimental to a person’s character, and Jean-Paul Sartre who proposes that ownership extends beyond objects. Skills and qualities that you posses are more valuable than tangible goods and allow you to fully develop a good, moral, character and sense of self. An example of someone who is lacking many tangible
One’s personal possessions usually have value to them because they are something that a person can truly claim as his or her own. The most desirable and most valuable possession would naturally be love. With love some, but not all, desire material possessions. Last, everyone desires security to complete the last piece of the puzzle.
of possession; and if I could convey it, I might have it in inheritance, as completely