Episode · Stuff You Should Know · 2025-02-06
Books mentioned on The Tragedy of the Commons
Since it was introduced in the 60s, the Tragedy of the Commons, the idea that humans will inevitably ruin any resource we all share, has had sweeping effects on government and public attitudes on who owns the environment. Problem is, it was fictitious.
Josh Clark discussed Lifeboat Ethics by Garrett James Hardin and Governing the Commons by Elinor Ostrom.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Lifeboat Ethics
Discussed“I read another paper of his too um called Lifeboat ethics MH the argument against helping the poor”
Where to get it
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Governing the Commons
Governing the Commons by Elinor Ostrom is an influential economics and political science book that examines how communities successfully manage shared resources without falling into the tragedy of the commons or requiring heavy-handed government intervention.
Discussed“uh this is a woman who wrote a book in 1990 called governing the commons colon the evolution of Institutions for Collective action and she's probably like at the top of the list for um really bringing this to the the upper echelons of the political world”
Where to get it
