Robert Nozick wrote: "If I own a can of tomato juice and spill it in the sea . . . do I thereby own the sea, or have I foolishly dissipated my tomato juice?" This is meant to be an objection to

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Nozick's example is a critique of the "mixing theory of labor," which suggests that by mixing one's labor with unowned resources, one comes to own those resources. Nozick uses the example to question the limits of this theory, implying that merely mixing something you own with something unowned (like the sea) does not necessarily grant you ownership of the larger entity.

Robert Nozick Wrote: "If I Own a Can of Tomato