dsayers Posted March 21, 2014 Posted March 21, 2014 I've been thinking a lot about the nature of privacy. I've thought for a while that people cling to it so dearly because of the ways people in the present try to abuse it so readily. I wonder if our evaluation of the idea would be the same in a world where it wasn't trying to be abused. I own me, so I think it's a given that my thoughts and my feelings are my own, to share and withhold as I see fit. Beyond that, can we have a legitimate expectation of privacy? If you live alone, then even your behaviors within your home could fall under private. Unless they are done in the presence of another person, I would argue. I was hoping we could have a normative discussion to come up with a rational explanation as to what is private and what is not. Is there a flaw in the thoughts I've shared on the subject thus far? Are there factors I'm not considering? Is there more to the story than I've put forth? Let me know what you think please.
cab21 Posted March 21, 2014 Posted March 21, 2014 I wonder if our evaluation of the idea would be the same in a world where it wasn't trying to be abused. One has to identify what is meant to be private, for there to even be anything private that could be abused. say a nondisclosure agreement, indicating that a trade secret is meant to be kept private. this shows that some information is supposed to be kept private, while other information does not have such restriction. the parties agreed to the privacy voluntarily. I own me, so I think it's a given that my thoughts and my feelings are my own, to share and withhold as I see fit. Beyond that, can we have a legitimate expectation of privacy? If you live alone, then even your behaviors within your home could fall under private. Unless they are done in the presence of another person, I would argue. I was hoping we could have a normative discussion to come up with a rational explanation as to what is private and what is not. Is there a flaw in the thoughts I've shared on the subject thus far? Are there factors I'm not considering? Is there more to the story than I've put forth? contracts can create a legitimate expectation of privacy. some things are a legitimate expectation without a contract, such as property violations other things can be a legitimate expectation with a contract, such as a contract that states what a property violation would be, between those otherwise engaged in a contract. what are some examples of "beyond that"? you owning you covers any example of privacy i am thinking of at the moment. that would include that someone elses thoughts are not yours to share and withhold as you see fit, if that someone else did not consent.
HasMat Posted March 21, 2014 Posted March 21, 2014 I think the Art of War by Sun Tzu is highly applicable here. The reality in which we live has 3 aspects: process, pattern, and contents. correlating that to an individual means behavior, matter, and info. We dont just own our bodies, we own our choices and control over our data. Our physical bodies are only a third part of what we 'own' as corporeal individuals who travel forward thru time. One great philosophers said something along the lines that man owned his body, the product of his labor, and the works of his mind. I would argue that privacy is an essentail subset of the works of the mind. Would it be surprising to see man not owning the product of his labor (taxation), not owning the works of his mind (privacy), and then lastly to have the state disavow the individuals ownership over his physical body? its the natural evolution. The NSA and social media are hard at work.
Recommended Posts