Tragedy Of The CommonsIn 1968, the journal Science published the classic essay Tragedy of the Commons by Garrett Hardin. He presented issues of ecology and social ethics in the form of a parable about farmers who, when allowed to graze their cattle in one field as much as they wanted to, each acted in their own self-interest, and the field was destroyed. The idea of self-interest extends beyond the individual to households, villages, companies, industries or nations. His concept of the commons includes ecosystems, rivers, oceans, organisms or mineral resources with actions such as over-fishing, deforestation, resource depletion and greenhouse gas emissions. He concluded that the Earth will likewise be destroyed by overpopulation.« |
