Ownership

M u c h the s a m e m a y be s a i d o f the d i f f e r ence b e t w e e n s i m p l e

r i g h t s a n d in te res ts c o n c e i v e d i n t e rms o f o w n e r s h i p . A p e r s o n

is n o t , i n m o s t s ys t ems , r e g a r d e d as o w n i n g h i s b o d y , r e p u -

t a t i o n , s k i l l , h o n o u r o r d i g n i t y . A t mos t he has a s i m p l e r i g h t to

these t h i n g s , w h i c h a r e there fo re no t l e g a l l y ' t h i n g s ' . B y a

' s i m p l e r i g h t ' , I m e a n o n e w h i c h is p r o t e c t e d b y l a w b u t is n o t

a l i e n a b l e o r t r a n s m i s s i b l e . N o w i t m a y be t h a t the d o c t r i n e

t h a t o n e does n o t o w n one ' s b o d y , e tc . is i n f l u e n c e d b y the l i n -

g u i s t i c fact t h a t s u c h aspects o f one ' s p e r s o n d o n o t f a l l w i t h i n

the p r i m e c lass o f t h i n g s , e x t e r n a l m a t e r i a l ob j ec t s . B u t a m o r e

l i k e l y e x p l a n a t i o n is s i m p l y t h a t i t has b e en t h o u g h t u n d e s i r a b l e

t h a t a p e r s o n s h o u l d a l i e n a t e h i s b o d y , s k i l l o r r e p u t a t i o n , as

th i s w o u l d be to i n t e r f e r e w i t h h u m a n f r e e d o m . W h e n h u m a n

be ings w e r e r e g a r d e d as a l i e n a b l e a n d o w n a b l e t h e y w e r e , o f

c ou r s e , a l so r e g a r d e d as b e i n g l e g a l l y t h i n g s : a n d i t is q u i t e

easy to c o n c e i v e a r r a n g e m e n t s u n d e r w h i c h o n e c o u l d , for

i n s t a n c e , lease one ' s r e p u t a t i o n o r one ' s s k i l l f o r a t e r m o f

y e a r s , so t h a t t h e lessee c o u l d sue for i n f r i n g e m e n t s o f the lessor 's

g o o d n a m e o r f o r t h e f ru i t s o f h i s w o r k . I t m a y , i n d e e d , be

a r g u e d t h a t c o n t r a c t s f o r t h e a s s i g n m e n t o f g o o d w i l l a n d c o n -

t r a c t s o f s e rv i c e a r e e x a m p l e s o f a t least p a r t i a l a l i e n a t i o n s o f

these in teres ts .