On Sat, 25 Aug 2001, Declan McCullagh wrote:
On Tue, Aug 21, 2001 at 02:10:18PM +0300, Sampo Syreeni wrote:
True. Yet harm gives you cause for Common Law action, no?
No. If I start a bakery that competes with yours and takes customers from yours, I have "harmed" you. Yet this is something that society encourages.
No, no 'harm' occurs in that situation. Nothing that was 'yours' was damaged or othewise manipulated without your consent. Those potential customers decision to shop at your store or another isn't 'yours'. Your desires and expectations weren't fulfilled by the expectations of the market or your approach to using it. However, you have no reason to expect those people to have an obligation to do business with you. Typical logical schism in C-A-C-L thinking, the 'individual' is everything and the 'group' is nothing. Not putting 2+2 that the 'group' is nothing but the collective actions of the individual. This is not the sort of 'individualism' that Hayek and other free market proponents are refering too. In a very real sense it's mis-representation. -- ____________________________________________________________________ natsugusa ya...tsuwamonodomo ga...yume no ato summer grass...those mighty warriors'...dream-tracks Matsuo Basho The Armadillo Group ,::////;::-. James Choate Austin, Tx /:'///// ``::>/|/ ravage@ssz.com www.ssz.com .', |||| `/( e\ 512-451-7087 -====~~mm-'`-```-mm --'- --------------------------------------------------------------------