logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2021
1h 13m

MINE: How the Rules of Ownership Control...

Next Big Idea Club
About this episode

Ownership is simple, right? Something is either yours or it isn’t. Case closed. But who owns the space behind your airplane seat, the results of the DNA you took online, the Netflix password you got from your cousin’s roommate? The jury's still out, according to law professors Michael Heller and James Salzman. That’s because ownership isn’t binary or static: it’s a storytelling exercise, and we rely on just six stories to claim everything we own. In this revelatory conversation, Michael and James explain how those stories work, how you can use them to your advantage, and why they might be key to dismantling income inequality and arresting climate change.

Up next
Jul 10
GENIUS MYTH: The Dangerous Allure of Rule-Breakers
Sign up for our Substack! Arthur Schopenhauer said, “Talent hits a target no one else can hit. Genius hits a target no one else can see.” Thomas Edison famously claimed, “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.” Helen Lewis has a different take entirely. To her, the term g ... Show More
44m 22s
Jul 7
‘The Next Big Idea Daily’: Your Life Plan Fell Apart. Now What?
Life changes can sneak up on all of us, and sometimes they hit pretty hard. Cassidy Krug spent 20 years training to be one of the best divers in the world. She made it to the Olympics. And then, in a single moment, her lifelong dream ended—with no medal, no encore, just the quiet ... Show More
15m 42s
Jul 3
Best Of: Life Lessons From Wired Co-Founder Kevin Kelly
Sign up for our daily Substack here! Kevin Kelly has made a career out of looking to the future. He helped pioneer online social networking all the way back in the 1980s, and he co-founded Wired, the magazine devoted to digital technology, when the internet was still an infant. B ... Show More
51m 20s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2022
Who Gets the Armrest? The Psychology of Ownership
"Mine" is one of the first words babies learn. By the time we grow up, the idea of ownership seems natural, whether we’re buying a cup of coffee or a house. But who controls the space behind your airplane seat: you reclining or the squished laptop user behind? Why is plagiarism w ... Show More
30m 3s
Feb 2023
SYSK Choice: The Complexities of Ownership & What Money Really Is
How much gold is on our planet? And have we found most of it? This episode begins with some fascinating intel on gold including how much gold is actually in an Olympic Gold Medal and how much more gold is on a Nobel Prize. https://www.rd.com/article/gold-facts/If you own your hom ... Show More
52m 58s
Aug 2023
What You Never Knew About Your Neighborhood & Understanding Intellectual Property Rights
There is this weird thing that happens to a lot of people (including me) and that is, we often wake up on our own just before the alarm goes off. Why is that? Listen as this episode begins with the interesting reason why this seems to happen to so many people. https://www.iflscie ... Show More
53m 42s
Feb 2022
The Life-Changing Magic of Mustard
What would happen if you treated your home as your most important organization? This week, Eve and Aditi explore how an ownership mindset is the secret to equity, efficiency and believe it or not, more harmony in the home. From dishes to garbage to managing your kids’ activities, ... Show More
35m 24s
Jul 2023
What Matters Is What You Can Do In The Moment | Check Your Privilege
Epictetus didn’t care what you had read. He didn’t care if you had made it through the densest writings of Chryssipus. Marcus Aurelius didn’t care what your job was, what your education was, what your authority was.What mattered was who you were–in your actual life.---And in toda ... Show More
7m 16s
Jul 2022
Michael Pollan: How To Change Your Mind
Michael Pollan is an author who between his five bestsellers has sold millions of books. Through exploring our connection to the natural world, he reveals sides of ourselves that we never knew we had. As an author and a journalist, it’s Michael’s job to question everything.But in ... Show More
1h 8m
Mar 2021
The Hidden Rules of Ownership & The Story of Money
How much gold is on our planet? And have found most of it? This episode begins with some fascinating intel on gold including how much gold is actually in an Olympic Gold Medal and how much more gold is on a Nobel Prize. https://www.rd.com/article/gold-facts/Why would Disney or HB ... Show More
52m 58s
Dec 2022
Richard Branson: How A Dyslexic Drop-out Built A Billion Dollar Empire
Told at school that he would either be successful or in prison, with a value of over $3 BILLION and earth’s atmosphere the only thing trapping him (for now), it’s an understatement to say that Sir Richard Branson became a success. But behind the Virgin empire and its global offsh ... Show More
1h 16m
Mar 2023
Space Policy Edition: The Tricky Ethics of Space Settlement
Humanity is on the cusp of attempting permanent settlement on other worlds. But who gets to go? How will we govern ourselves or enforce laws off Earth? How can you have property rights, labor rights, or even individual rights when the very air you breathe is limited and potential ... Show More
1h 11m