Hawker,

All things are made of PMM or they are nothing. Medicine cannot help you with your ailment if the cure wasn't comprised of PMM. A television show (its content) isn't very useful without the television set. Software without some computing platform has little utility to the user. It is only as these "abstractions" are attached to the real world in some way that they have value.

And in fact, they're all connected to the world of reality. The software, TV content, and medicinal theory are all "stored" somewhere before they are applied in the desired way. These stored things (abstractions of sorts) can also be considered valuable. All of those locations, including in the mind, had some connection to PMM. Duh!

I have no confusion about society. Society, used as an analogy, is just like a forest. A forest is comprised of trees just like society is comprised of people. Society is just an abstract term. I'm not confused about the role of society, if there even is such a thing. The "role" society "plays" is just a measure of the sum total of actions the individuals contribute to the whole. So what? I'm not a collectivist and never will be. I believe I have basic human rights, I don't believe in societal rights. I'm not beholden to society (other than non-aggression) to do anything for them. "Society" cannot, or more accurately should not, force me to do their bidding (I hope you weren't implying this).

A few examples to whet the appetite:

1.) Two or more persons can exchange smiles for a price. Did they exchange anything material? No, they performed an action. In actuality they exchanged reflected or emitted photons of a specific wavelength, but now were just splitting hairs. They had to use PMM to do it (the muscles in their face), but again so what.

2.) One computer transmits combinations of bits (1's and 0's) from one computer to another. These voltage levels or potentials are interpreted to mean a specific software program.

Can you find value in these exchanges? It seems you can. You personally contract with that person(s) for those things or for those actions you want performed. On the other hand, your actions, performances, or PMM compositions cannot bind others who are not privy to the terms or who have not given their consent. This would be a violation of the basic premise of contract. It also violates private property rights. Either you own an object or you don't. If you don't, might (independent of justice) makes right. If you believe that, then we're just in an arms race, where those who can apply the most force more often will maintain their possessions the longest. But, if that's the case, we can just dispense with right and wrong and just go with the animal kingdom. Prey and predator. Kill or be killed. Eat or be eaten.

If you read (4.3) it mentions performances or services as possible contractual objective outcomes, and thus legitimate. It is even possible to be paid to forbear from an action. I'm pretty sure I haven't missed much. Keep shooting though. There might be something...