The paper presents two arguments against the idea of private intellectual property: 1. a modern argument, derived from a parallel reading of two essays of Kant: "Von der Unrechtmäßigkeit des Büchernachdrucks" and "Über ein vermeintes Recht aus Meschenliebe zu lügen" that should explain why Kant refused to apply the concepts of private property to ideas and speeches 2. an ancient, and more basic argument, from Plato's "Meno" and his idea of anamnesis: research and learning can work – and avoid Meno's paradox – only if it is assumed a previous continuum of a common, contextual and interconnected knowledge