A concept popularized in recent years by a great 1968 essay in Science. An excerpt:
"The tragedy of the commons develops in this way. Picture a pasture open to all. It is to be expected that each herdsman will try to keep as many cattle as possible on the commons. Such an arrangement may work reasonably satisfactorily for centuries because tribal wars, poaching, and disease keep the numbers of both man and beast well below the carrying capacity of the land. Finally, however, comes the day of reckoning, that is, the day when the long-desired goal of social stability becomes a reality. At this point, the inherent logic of the commons remorselessly generates tragedy."
The full article is available here and well worth reading.
You took the words right out of my fingers, John. ;-)
Yes. Uh, yes indeed. You caught me. :-P
U, don't you consider the back of a cereal box a good argument for libertarianism? ;-)
A good argument for libertarianism. :-)
A concept popularized in recent years by a great 1968 essay in Science. An excerpt:
"The tragedy of the commons develops in this way. Picture a pasture open to all. It is to be expected that each herdsman will try to keep as many cattle as possible on the commons. Such an arrangement may work reasonably satisfactorily for centuries because tribal wars, poaching, and disease keep the numbers of both man and beast well below the carrying capacity of the land. Finally, however, comes the day of reckoning, that is, the day when the long-desired goal of social stability becomes a reality. At this point, the inherent logic of the commons remorselessly generates tragedy."
The full article is available here and well worth reading.