“What Do You Really Own Anyway?”

What is it to “own” something? Is it just to have exclusive access to, or control over, a resource? How did the concept of “ownership” arise? Is it true that “property is theft?” How have the concepts of property and money evolved so as to de-emphasize the shared resources and relationships that don’t fit so easily into the concept of “ownership”? Hugh Taft-Morales explores different ways that members of the Baltimore Ethical Society can approach “owning” our community and our mission.

Hugh Taft-Morales joined the Baltimore Ethical Society as its professional leader in 2010, the same year he was certified by the American Ethical Union as an Ethical Culture Leader. He also serves as Leader of the Ethical Humanist Society of Philadelphia. His presence in Ethical Culture has been termed “invigorating.” Taft-Morales lives in Takoma Park, Maryland, with his wife Maureen, a Latin American Analyst with the Congressional Research Service, with whom he has three beloved children, Sean, Maya, and Justin.