:This essay explores the concept of the connected self-owner, which takes account of the metaphysical significance of relations among persons for persons’ capacities to be owners. This concept of the self-owner conflicts with the traditional libertarian understanding of the self-owner as atomistic or essentially separable from all others. I argue that the atomistic self cannot be a self-owner. A self-owner is a moral person with intentions, desires, and thoughts. But in order to have intentions, desires, and thoughts a being must relate to others through language and norm-guided behavior. Individual beings require the pre-existence of norms and norm-givers to bootstrap their selves, and norms, norm-givers, and norm-takers are necessary to continue to support the self. That means, I argue, that the self who can be an owner is essentially connected. Next, I ask how humans become connected selves and whether that connection matters morally. I distinguish among those connections that support development of valuable capacities. One such capacity is the autonomous individual. I argue that the social connections that allow the development of autonomous individuals have moral value and should be fostered. On the basis of these two values, I argue that we can support at least two nonvoluntary obligations, one negative and one positive, that we can ground in our metaphysical essence as connected self-owners.

中文翻译：

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关联的自我所有权和我们对他人的义务

：本文探讨了关联的自我所有者的概念，它考虑了人与人之间的关系对于人成为所有者的能力的形而上学意义。这种自我所有者的概念与传统的自由主义对自我所有者的理解相冲突，即自我所有者是原子的或本质上与所有其他人是可分离的。我认为原子主义的自我不可能是自我拥有者。自我拥有者是具有意图、欲望和思想的道德人。但为了有意图、欲望和思想，一个存在必须通过语言和规范引导的行为与他人建立联系。个体存在需要规范和规范提供者的预先存在来引导他们自己，而规范、规范提供者和规范接受者是继续支持自我所必需的。我认为，这意味着可以成为所有者的自我本质上是相互关联的。接下来，我问人类如何成为相互联系的自我，以及这种联系在道德上是否重要。我区分了那些支持发展宝贵能力的联系。一种这样的能力是自主的个人。我认为，允许自主个体发展的社会联系具有道德价值，应该得到培养。在这两种价值观的基础上，我认为我们可以支持至少两种非自愿义务，一种是消极的，一种是积极的，我们可以在我们的形而上学本质中建立起相互联系的自我所有者的基础。我认为，允许自主个体发展的社会联系具有道德价值，应该得到培养。在这两种价值观的基础上，我认为我们可以支持至少两种非自愿义务，一种是消极的，一种是积极的，我们可以在我们的形而上学本质中建立起相互联系的自我所有者的基础。我认为，允许自主个体发展的社会联系具有道德价值，应该得到培养。在这两种价值观的基础上，我认为我们可以支持至少两种非自愿义务，一种是消极的，一种是积极的，我们可以在我们的形而上学本质中建立起相互联系的自我所有者的基础。