Mo_reese wrote: ↑December 22nd, 2024, 12:55 pm
The argument in favor argues that the artifacts are an integral part of the plundered countries' cultures and is a dark reminder of the imperialism and colonialism that those countries had to endure. Also, in a world where we hopefully value justice, returning the items would essentially provide justice for the theft of the items.
I agree with this line of thinking. What do others think?
How far will you go with this? What are your
rules of engagement? What are your limits or constraints?
Mo_reese wrote: ↑December 23rd, 2024, 12:38 pm
[To Sy Borg:] You asked a good question as to how far back should we go. I don't know, what do you think?
For a start, do you wish to discuss the concept of
ownership? What definition (of "ownership") are we using? If it's an imprecise definition (as seems likely), is it precise enough to allow our discussions here? [I'm not a definition-bigot, but I think some brief thoughts about what it is we're discussing might prove interesting, at the least.] Dictionary definitions of ownership seem to be somewhat circular in nature...
If ownership exists, what limits are there? Limits on time? Is ownership eternal or temporary? Limits on/in space? How far, in physical distance, does 'ownership' extend? And so on. After all, there have to be some limits, or our discussion will fade into infinity, as we try to discuss the entire Universe, in all its wonder. For practical convenience, if nothing else, we need some limits. So what are they?
Perhaps more importantly than the above, and even more fundamentally, what is the
justification for ownership? What is it that would — morally? Is this a moral discussion? — allow for one individual, or a group of individuals, to obtain and/or retain 'ownership' of all or part of The Universe? Why or how is this ownership permissible, even desirable?
Are there 'common sense' aspects to this discussion, any empirical input to the discussion, or is this topic purely Ivory-Tower theoretical?
And finally, I think we should bear in mind, in this discussion, that ownership is built-in to our English (and American) language. Consider words, common and often-used words, like "mine" and "yours", for a start. Isn't it a bit difficult to discuss something when that something is
embedded in the language we use to describe and discuss it? It's a bit like trying to discuss time...