Belonging as Intellectual Creation

This project considers the question of “what we create when we create.” Certainly, one product of creation is “stuff”— creative works and inventions. But by engaging in creative endeavor, creators often create other public, personal, or social goods, including skills, self-actualization, and community. This project postulates that for some creators, consumers, and creative communities, a sense of belonging is, itself, a product of intellectual creation that rivals “stuff” in its importance to progress and human flourishing. The project considers social science research establishing a sense of belonging as a fundamental human need and driver of behavior. It also considers how for some creators and in some circumstances, a desire for a sense of belonging may surpass the financial benefits of exclusivity as a motivator of creation and may encourage adherence to copying and attribution norms that differ from formal law. This refines the common narrative under which the creation of “stuff” is the primary objective of formal intellectual property law, and under which legal exclusivity is a necessary incentive for creation and innovation. Finally, the project explores the normative implications of this refinement.