APES Tragedy of the Commons

What is one positive aspect in adding a cow, and one negative aspect in adding a cow to the commons?

(1) A positive component is a function of the increment of one animal, producing the proceeds from the sale of the additional animal, creating a positive utility of +1 (2) A negative component is a function of the additional overgrazing created by one more animal; however, because the overgrazing is shared among the herdsmen, the negative utility is a fraction of -1

Hardin argues that through human history humans have lived with mutual coercion. Describe how the commons of farmland and waste disposal are examples.

(1) Humans have been coerced to agree that they can use farmland all they want, but that eventually they will run out, which is why we must abide by government laws of land usage and property rights. (2) Humans have/are being coerced to agree that we can pollute the environment all we want with waste disposal, but eventually this disposal will damage the commons, which is why people are becoming to abide to pollution laws.

Give three problems that have "no technical solution"

(1) People want countries to increase military power and decrease national security (2) One cannot win tick-tack-toe if their opponent understands the basic concepts of game theory (3) The "population" problem cannot be solved unless some people agree to give up their right to have unlimited children

Thinking about good seats at a concert, what are three ways the promoters control access to the seats? Remember - the seats are privately owned and not a commons.

(1) Promoters make good seats cost more so that not everyone is able to get them (2) Good seats are closer to the front so that they are easier to control who gets in and how close they get to the stage (3) Promoters require tickets to get to your seats so that you cannot take the seat that somebody else purchased.

What are two examples of social coercion?

(1) Social coercion occurs through parking meters. People can stay parked in a specific spot for as long as they want; however, to stay in that spot gets more expensive the longer they are there. In this way, the government coerces people to park for shorter amounts of time. (2) Taxes are another form of social coercion. Nobody likes taxes but we all agree with and support taxes and other coercive devices to escape the horror of the commons.

What is social coercion?

(Something that takes away one of our freedoms) When we give up one of our freedoms, it creates a better situation within society for the greater good.

Hardin says we must choose between two "goods" - the greatest number of people or the greatest good per person. Does Hardin believe that humans can maximize both at the same time?

-Mathematically it is impossible to maximize two or more variables at the same time (x+y=5 where x=5 and y=5 is not possible). Our source of energy is finite and therefore we cannot provide all the resources necessary to ensure good for the greatest number of people -Even if energy was infinite, population growth leads to the problem of dissipation, or waste

Hardin gives the examples of atmosphere and water. These cannot be owned by anyone. Why is the different than grazing land or a National Park?

Air and water do not respect specific boundaries, lands or parks have set limits and are not crossed. When someone pollutes the atmosphere or water, it is difficult to regulate or punish.

What do work calories do for people?

Any calories aside from maintenance calories that get used for activities not essential to life

Hardin states that " the pattern of ancient ethics and therefore are poorly suited to governing a complex, crowded, changeable world". He goes on to say that it is very difficult to pass laws to govern all possibilities and therefore government turns to the bureaucracy to make laws work. Why is this not a good idea according to Harden? (N.B. Who polices the police?)

Bureaucracy works to deal with day-to-day issues that are not covered in the law. Hardin fears administration by the bureaucracy because he worries who will govern those who govern us? In other words, it is difficult to check the power of the government should we give them supreme power over modern society.

Hardin states that the morality of an act is a function of the times when that act occurred. Describe the bison example he gives in those terms.

During the time that bison roamed the Great Plains in the hundreds upon thousands, there was no worry of deleting the natural resource and species by hunting. However, after years of taking without leaving time to replenish, the bison population has fallen drastically and one cannot kill one without thought of shrinking the already miniature population.

What eventually must happen to the commons?

Each herder cannot continue to add infinite cattle to the commons because overgrazing, even when shared among the herdsmen, will eventually eliminate the resources and space within the pasture. Essentially the freedom of the commons will lead to the ultimate destruction of the commons.

Is the amount of resources in the world infinite or finite? Why?

Even though some resources are infinite, people must accept that Earth is finite because people cannot afford to live as if our world is endless

What do you think Hardin means by "mutual" in the sense of society?

Hardin asserts that "Mutual" does not mean mutually liked, but simply mutually agreed. Everybody follows and supports something even if they don't actually like the action of doing it.

What does Hardin believe must happen to the amount of work (like gourmet meals & art) if we are to have the maximum number of people? What is his reason?

Hardin believes we must bring the amount of work as close to zero as possible in order to maximize the number of people because they are nonessential to population growth (In reality, Hardin asserts that fewer people w/ higher work is better than more people w/ lower work)

Why do you think Hardin uses this point about guilt when he is talking about controlling the human population?

Hardin concludes that we cannot use laws that will control the family size because guilt is not an effective means of coercion.

How does Hardin feel about the freedom to have as many children as a family wants? He says "But our society is deeply committed to the welfare state, and hence confronted with another aspect of the tragedy of the commons." What does this commitment lead to?

Hardin feels as though it seems right and logical to have every freedom to have as many children as they want; however, he does not believe this right is practical. Allowing each family to produce as many children allows the issue of overpopulation to go on, almost unchecked. Promoting a welfare state in which the government is responsible for making all citizens equal and content is impossible when there are an infinite amount of people to provide for

What aspect of the Tragedy of the Commons will humans avoid if we lower population levels?

Humans will not have to endure resource scarcity, pollution within our own living areas, and a loss of living room. If we relinquish some of our resource usage, the resources we choose not to use can replenish, thus maximizing our quality of life (i.e. giving up one freedom to enjoy another)

Hardin argues that to maximize their profits, each herder continues to add cattle to the commons. Why can this behavior not continue indefinitely?

Initially, the commons will experience tribal wars, poaching, and disease that keep numbers of both man and beast well beneath the carrying capacity of the land; however, there will come a time when the pasture achieves social stability. At this point, the inherent logic of the commons remorselessly generates tragedy.

Finally, Hardin argues that we must abandon the freedom to breed. Describe this in terms of mutual coercion.

People do not want to give up their freedom to breed; however, once educated about the hazards of overpopulation, people will conclude that our freedom to breed will lead to chaos within our society, which is why Hardin predicts humans will eventually be coerced to accept breeding laws.

Pollution is the reverse of when we take things out of the commons. Explain.

Pollution is, rather than taking things out of the commons (i.e. resources), putting something (i.e. waste) into it when we don't know where else to put it. The rational person finds that their share of cost of the wastes they discharge into the environment is less than the cost of purifying their wastes before releasing them.

Hardin says "Injustice is preferable to total ruin." How does this help him argue for mutual coercion?

Rather than have a fisherman fish for as many lobster as they want, they only keep some so that the remaining lobster can maintain the population. Sometimes when there is an issue that nobody has a "perfect solution" for, people accept the injustice rather than abolish the law all together because to abolish the law would result in even more chaos and injustice than the law itself instills. This acceptance is a form of mutual coercion because people are "encouraged" to accept something because they know it is the lesser of two evils.

What do maintenance calories do for people?

Require about 1600 kilocalories a day to provide for mere bodily maintenance in order to stay alive.

Why are taxes a good example of mutual coercion?

Taxes are a good example of mutual coercion because we accept them even though we dislike them because we know they are better than the alternative of no government budget.

The example given by Hardin is a commons. In countries like Great Britain, what is a commons?

The House of Commons, Parliament's lower house, is made up of elected representatives, or commons. A commons, in nature, is owned by none and is accessible to all (provides ecological services).

Hardin says that "To make such an appeal (to make families limit their size) is to set up a selective system that works toward the elimination of conscience from the race." Which is eliminated, the group that wants more children, or the groups that wants fewer children? Explain.

The group that wants fewer children will have been eliminated because the groups that want more children will continue producing children who want children, thereby increasing their demographic compared to the alternate in an unproportioned manner. (Darwinism)

What is the "old saying" about rivers and how long it takes to purify the water? Why can modern societies no longer rely on this method?

The old saying about rivers is that flowing water purifies itself every 10 miles, however, that was before the population became denser. Now natural and biological cycling processes become overloaded, calling for a redefinition of property rights.

He then says that we cannot work toward optimizing the population until we defeat the ideas of Adam Smith. Summarize Smith's ideas concerning how people work to benefit themselves.

The optimum population must be less than its maximum to ensure that there is still room for waste. Smith believed that if everybody did what's best for themselves that in the long run that it'd be the best thing for society in the long run. Nature/Smith defines "good" as survival.

Hardin uses the example of fishing in the open sea as a tragedy of the commons. Describe how this is a good example.

Though maritime nations act as though the sea is an infinite supply of fish and food, they bring species after species of fish and whales closer to extinction with each and every catch. This situation is a good example because it shows the apparent opportunity of the commons before the inevitable tragedy occurs.

What is the definition of "tragedy" that is given to us by Hardin?

Tragedy is the solemnity of the remorseless working of things

Hardin states that appealing to someone's sense of conscience has both short term (as well as long term) problems. He states that instead of conscience we are really making someone fell guilty. Reflect on when you have been made to feel guilty about something. Did you continue to do that activity and feel good about it?

When we feel guilty about something, we continue to do the thing because it brings us comfort when we feel guilty over it.

Do you believe that Hardin feels we can pass laws to solve the Tragedy of the Commons?

Yes, Hardin believes we can pass laws to solve the Tragedy of the Commons. He explains that administrative law is necessary to solve this complex and widespread issue; however, if we create a way to establish corrective feedbacks that legitimate our government, then we/they will be able to effectively combat this tragedy.

In Hardin's opinion, what are some characteristics of a "technical solution"?

a solution that requires a change only in natural sciences but no change in human morals or ethics