Social Production

Orthodox readings of Hegels’ expressivist theory of property rights putatively assume he is an apologist for free market capitalism in all spheres of production and distribution. However, greater attention played to his discussion of intellectual property reveals that he is a pluralist about property rights and the particular manifestation of economic distribution and ownership is contingent on structural, economic and technological aspects of a society. The following essays seeks to show that intellectual property rights are an example of pure intentional activity that is best understood as public, social and collective labour when there is an overcoming of rivalrous material limitations. At the end of history, when economic and social conditions allow, private property can be superseded by collective sharing of resources and this is the dynamic nature of sprit, what moves it, the coming out of itself into the world. Recognition for the creator is to be protected and for this reason intellectual labour is both the alpha and omega of property – it is where it begins to where it ends, in the individual being-with the community.