Licensing Trust - Philosophical Justification

Philosophical Justification

Community ownership, as exampled in Licensing Trusts, has endured and endeared itself as a concept because it embodies a complex interaction between:

• A Sense of Self – community association begins with individual needs that ‘have’ to be met.
• The need for community association which offers inclusion, a sense of belonging, and by extension, the notion of the common good and the concept of community well-being.
• The pursuit of solidarity which embodies both self-interest (the act of giving benefits also the giver) and a caring for others. The ‘paradox’ of the gift is the ‘obligation’ created, which in turn potentially and practically lessens alienation and• ffers avenues for inclusion.
• The necessity for enterprise which encompasses initiative and resourcefulness, all those attributes essential for success: enthusiasm, commitment, talent, management and personal disciplines, profit, return on investment, and people skills (for example, leadership, and the ability to relate/communicate).