Students Love Technology. The New Communications World. Optimal communication tool. Tragedy of the commons. Self-interests causing depletion of a shared resource The tragedy of the commons is a metaphoric label for a concept that is widely discussed, and criticised, in economics, ecology and other sciences. According to the concept, should a number of people enjoy unfettered access to a finite, valuable resource such as a pasture, they will tend to over-use it, and may end up destroying its value altogether. Even if some users exercised voluntary restraint, the other users would merely supplant them, the predictable result being a tragedy for all. The metaphor is the title of a 1968 essay by ecologist Garrett Hardin. As another example, he cited a watercourse which all are free to pollute. The concept itself did not originate with Hardin, but rather extends back to classical antiquity, being discussed by Aristotle. The principal concern of Hardin's essay was overpopulation of the planet.
Expositions[edit] Classical[edit] Lloyd's pamphlet[edit] Garrett Hardin's article[edit] Therein is the tragedy. Email History | SendBlaster Blog. -4CV05HyAbM (application/x-shockwave-flash Object)