> If everybody owns something, then nobody owns it. We should probably rethink our notion of what "the commons" means, vis-a-vis property rights.

Good point. Of course, that rethink might go in either way, moving more things from public to private or from private to public. It's a good idea to periodically review what we consider public property and try to make it more consistent with the idea of privatizing externalities.

> Depends on how you define "better". Who is to say that "better for society" trumps "better for the individual"

Society of course, thus democracy.

> There's no particular objective reason to take that position over the one favoring individual choice.

Yes there is, the will of the majority.