What does it mean to be a self-owner? Why is the concept important?

Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Course Title
Date of Submission
Self-owner
What does it mean to be a self-owner? Why is the concept important?
To be a self-owner means to have the ability to behave in a manner that is guided by a person’s will and judgment based on his/her capabilities. A self-owner has the ability to make a choice of what he/she will become in the future by choosing a path that he/she believes is the best. The individual is also ready to accept the outcomes of his/her decision. A self-owner is the distinct regulator of his/her body and life. Self-ownership is a concept that describes an individual’s physical body. Self-ownership is the ability of an individual to eliminate persons from their own body. Self-ownership is also about having the ability to own private property. The property needs to be acquired without any fraud (Cohen 84).
Self-ownership concept is valuable since it helps in describing the relationship that we need to have with the bodies of people to ensure that we do not interfere with them. It is s concept that gives an individual a sense of possessing something rightfully. Being a self-owner is likely to give a person the right to use (Bornschein 56).
Self-ownership has some limits whereby one cannot own his own body or cannot be owned by any other party. Therefore, it is wrong to do anything that may harm or damage the body such as suicide or taking addictive and illegal drugs. A self-owner does not have the permission to undertake such actions.

This concept of self-owner is widely used to enlighten people on the difference between ownership and right to use. Some people may view ownership and possession as the same thing, but they are entirely different. The concept is also essential in describing a person’s ability to use something, especially their own body exclusively. A self-owner is also critical concept since it gives individuals ability to know their limits regarding areas of ownership and non-ownership of anything even property.
Works Cited
Bornschein, Peter. “The self-ownership proviso: A critique.” Politics, Philosophy & Economics (2018): 1470594X18762256.
Cohen, Gerald A. “Self-ownership, world-ownership, and equality.” Distributive Justice. Routledge, 2017. 83-110.