A Summary of Garret Hardin’s “The Tragedy of the Commons”

                The Tragedy of the Commons is an influential essay written by Garrett Hardin and published in 1968. The thesis follows the general conclusion “that all resources, such as the ocean, which are held in common and are therefore not anyone’s private property, will be overused and ultimately degraded.” (Easton 36). Hardin’s monumental work was mired in controversy, from those who saw his ruthless pragmatism as unethical compared to a more egalitarian based approach when confronting world issues. Hardin shares some of the same sentiments as Joel Cohen in “Human Carry Capacity” by acknowledging there is no easy solution to these problems due to its complexity and subjectivity in nature. Population growth is one of these problems.

                The idea of the tragedy of the commons stems from a pamphlet published in 1833 by William Forster Lloyd. The analogy used to describe the idea of the commons is presented in this fashion:

Imagine a pasture where herdsmen let their cattle roam. As each herdsman adds additional cattle to the land to maximize personal gain, overgrazing occurs leading to the degradation of the land. Since each herdsman evokes the same rationale as the others—letting additional animals overgraze the land in consequence to the other herdsmen—the land slumps into a degraded state where eventually no animals are able to graze: “Therein is the tragedy. Each man is locked into a system that compels him to increase his herd without limit—in a world that is limited” (Hardin 37).

                The idea of the commons can be extrapolated to many different contexts where humans believe they should have free reign which affects humanity as a whole. Not only does it relate to land, but pollution, the freedom to breed, and basic human rights many feel entitled to. The polluter “finds that his share of the cost of the wastes he discharges into the commons is less than the cost of purifying his wastes before releasing them” (Hardin 38). People who feel it is their right to breed produce offspring who share the same views that it is a god given right to be fruitful and multiply. This system of belief that we have rights to the commons is based on Adam Smith’s monumental work on global economics, The Wealth of Nations—where laissez faire economics literally translates to the mantra of “let it be.”

                Some of the controversy that is directed at Hardin stems from the solutions he proposes to solve the world’s crises in relation to the commons. Although there are some solutions already in place to remove the "tragedy" from the commons—such as the institution of private property when dealing with land issues—there are far more complex solutions when regarding the right to clean air and water. Where Hardin takes a stance some view as ruthless pragmatism: suggesting the freedom to breed is intolerable and damaging the commons, coercive laws to tax or persuade people to make choices he views as prudent, and restricting freedoms for the betterment of society.

                Whether it is right to agree with Hardin varies among individuals, but acknowledging the tragedy of the commons as it relates to Earth’s resources has certainly shed some light on the issues of using finite resources.

Critical Thinking: Why should people not have as many children as possible?

                There is no definitive answer to the upper limit of Earth’s carry capacity. The Earth itself is an island, with a finite number of resources subject to our use. At what point will the population number exceed and impinge on our right to freedom? Where Hardin suggests that the "freedom to breed is intolerable” (Hardin 38), it is ultimately difficult to deny people this basic human right. People who breed must have the resources to provide for their children, and parents who breed a lot eventually have fewer descendants able to provide for themselves. While there is no definitive number regarding a human carrying capacity, there is a finite number of resources—and if the human population continues to increase at an exponential rate, the sooner we use up these resources will lead to the eventual end of the Earth as we know it.

Works Cited

Hardin, Garrett. “The Tragedy of the Commons.” Sources: Selections in Environmental Studies. Ed.

                Thomas Easton. United States, 2014. 36-40.