What is property? It seems a simple enough question. I own my clothes. But do I own my body, my ideas, my country? If I own my bicycle and it’s stolen, can I get it back by cutting the chain that the thief has used to secure it? My personal data may be better protected than my bicycle — but do I own it? And what about natural resources? Does anyone own them? Can private ownership bring public benefits? Are there limits on what we should own?
These are among the profound questions that Professor Dame Sarah Worthington DBE, KC (Hon), FBA addressed in her Hamlyn lectures, delivered earlier this month.1 I asked her for some answers yesterday when we recorded this week’s episode of A Lawyer Talks.
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