Question about ownership of the means of production (lemmy.world)

submitted 4 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Howdy! I'm new here and was hoping someone might have some insight to a question I've been thinking about for a while:

If I saved up my money and bought a tractor, would it be permissible/ethical to charge others to use it when I didn't need it?

This seems awfully similar to owning the means of production. What if I instead offered to plow their fields for them instead, driving the tractor myself and negotiating fair compensation in exchange?

Sorry if this is basic stuff I'm still learning. 🙏

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[-] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago

Thanks for the response! I guess what I'm wondering is if owning the tractor and leasing it out could still exist alongside collective ownership?

If I already have the means of purchasing the tractor for myself, I might not want to enter into a cooperative agreement with others and deal with the overhead that comes with it - especially if it were a scenario where I originally purchased it solely as a tool for myself. Let's say it were a simple tool like a scythe, collective ownership might seem like too much hassle when it would be more convenient if everyone just had their own.

[-] [email protected] 4 points 4 months ago

Naturally there is a breaking point where collective ownership becomes too cumbersome in relation to what is shared, for example imagine your lightbulbs go to your neighbor when you are asleep or at work. That's just not worth the bother, same for basic tools like a spade or hammer. Communal ownership makes sense for everything an average person cannot purchase or fully utilize on their own, like machinery that sits in a barn 2/3 of the time.

this post was submitted on 17 May 2024

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