Making Seafood Sustainable: American Experiences in Global Perspective

摘要

Garrett Hardin's influential 1968 essay, "The Tragedy of the Commons," explored the problem of economic self-interest. From the perspective of a herdsman, he asked theoretically, "What is the utility to me of adding one more animal to my herd?" The question, however, was not so simple. Because the commons was a shared space, the impact of an individual decision had profound consequences. For example, if one herdsman added more cattle or sheep, others would logically increase the size of their herds to compete economically. The combination of these individual decisions, Hardin argued, placed additional strain on the commons. Within a short time, the commons would become unsustainable.