Economics

Do not some men possess enemies?Of course; some in fact possess many.Shall we include their enemies in their possessions?It would be ridiculous, surely, if one actually received a salary for increasing the number of a man’s enemies!

Because, you know, we supposed a man’s estate to be the same as his property.To be sure—meaning thereby the good things that he possesses. No, of course I don’t call any bad thing that he may possess property.You seem to use the word property of whatever is profitable to its owner.Certainly; but what is harmful I regard as loss rather than wealth.

Yes, and consequently if a man buys a horse and doesn’t know how to manage it, and so keeps on getting thrown and injuring himself by trying to ride it, the horse is not wealth to him, I presume?No, if we assume that wealth is a good thing.It follows that land is not wealth either to a man who works it in such a way that his work results in loss.To be sure: even land is not wealth if it makes us starve instead of supporting us.