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Re: A query about historic sites etc

hayekianxyz — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 23:02:16 GMT

Doubtus:

In a transformation to a free society, what would happen to sites of historic/religious importance? What would happen to archeological sites? Would the Colosseum be demolished if it reaped a profit?

More than likely these would be bought by entrepreneurs who would then build communities around them, or at least incorporate them into the community.

Re: A query about historic sites etc

Stranger — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 22:58:15 GMT

Doubtus:

In a transformation to a free society, what would happen to sites of historic/religious importance? What would happen to archeological sites? Would the Colosseum be demolished if it reaped a profit?

Would the Colosseum be rebuilt if it reaped a profit?

Re: A query about historic sites etc

meambobbo — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 22:40:19 GMT

There is no reason to believe historic sites must fail to be competitively profitable against other uses of the land/site, if they are privately owned and marketed as public attractions. If the sites are valuable to a small group, they can buy the property and personally enjoy it, keeping it off-limits to the public. If both of these avenues fail at preservation, there is probably no point it to it.

Re: A query about historic sites etc

liberty student — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 21:41:28 GMT

I see a lot of these "How will libertarianism address this?" or "What will happen with X in a free society?" I admit, I did some of that myself when I transitioned from a minarchist to an anarchist. I wanted to be reassured that the world could only get better, not worse. I wanted guarantees that my preconceptions and comfortable reality would change, but not so much that I didn't recognize it.

A fundamental of the austrian school, is that there is no perfect mathematical knowledge of future events. No one knows what will happen. They can speculate, but that is just guesswork. The market is too sophisticated for precise predictions of the nature you are requesting

There is no "austrian plan" for such property. It is property, and in a free society, would be handled as property should be handled. Privately, by contract, through homesteading etc. Historic/religious importance is meaningless as it's entirely subjective and only adds value to the property insofar as people willing to buy or compete for the property feel so.

Personally, I say tear it all down. We spend too much time looking backwards, and not enough forwards.

Doubtus:
Would the Colosseum be demolished if it reaped a profit?

The question is, if it was unprofitable to not demolish it, then why keep it around? Profit is not a nominal monetary phenomenon. Go to wikipedia and read the entry on Praxeology. First understand why man acts. Because it is profitable of course, but understand how he defines profit for himself, and then how that leads to various actions to obtain a profit.

A query about historic sites etc

Doubtus — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 21:33:04 GMT

In a transformation to a free society, what would happen to sites of historic/religious importance? What would happen to archeological sites? Would the Colosseum be demolished if it reaped a profit?