I wonder if anyone has ever put a name to this viewpoint: "I don't intend to use it, nor do I intend to contribute to its upkeep, but I expect it to be available."
I'm not sure, but I think your comment is meant to be be sardonic.
I get that angle, but IMO there are some things that legitimately fall into that category, to a degree. Things that benefit others, or "society in general", but not me in particular.
For instance, I get no direct benefit from paying for public education (I'm done with school myself, no children), but I like to live in a society that is generally educated. So, I happily pay my taxes.
I suppose this might somehwat go against your "nor do I intend to contribute to its upkeep" provision, but I don't particularly track down and intentionally discover just every which way my tax dollars are spent, yet still I think its a good idea to pay that money, for the various things it provides for various people, even if it's not me directly.
Or to bring it back to the discussion at hand: It seems reasonable to wish (though not expect, per se) that a library has certain books available to the community, even if I don't personally read them. It's the fact that nobody is checking them out that makes them a waste of space in this particular instance.
interroboink|4 years ago
I get that angle, but IMO there are some things that legitimately fall into that category, to a degree. Things that benefit others, or "society in general", but not me in particular.
For instance, I get no direct benefit from paying for public education (I'm done with school myself, no children), but I like to live in a society that is generally educated. So, I happily pay my taxes.
I suppose this might somehwat go against your "nor do I intend to contribute to its upkeep" provision, but I don't particularly track down and intentionally discover just every which way my tax dollars are spent, yet still I think its a good idea to pay that money, for the various things it provides for various people, even if it's not me directly.
Or to bring it back to the discussion at hand: It seems reasonable to wish (though not expect, per se) that a library has certain books available to the community, even if I don't personally read them. It's the fact that nobody is checking them out that makes them a waste of space in this particular instance.
Just my 2ยข.
lupire|4 years ago
drewzero1|4 years ago
dublinben|4 years ago