hoodrh on Nostr: The concept of the "tragedy of the commons" originated in an article written by ...

The concept of the "tragedy of the commons" originated in an article written by ecologist Garrett Hardin in 1968 about a story that took place in the 19th century. The concept of "tragedy of the commons" originated in an article written by ecologist Garrett Hardin in 1968 about a story that took place in the 19th century when there was overgrazing on public lands. At the time, overgrazing was occurring on the commons because farmers could not trust anyone else to keep their livestock grazing within reasonable limits. This story has long served as a cautionary tale about the need for government to control people's demand for public resources (in the case of farmers, land is a public resource). Since then, "commons" has been used to describe all kinds of tangible or intangible "spaces" of public value that need to be protected. This is why free speech and copyright-free content on the Internet is often said to fall under the category of "creative commons" and should be protected by law, contract, and community activism.