Tragedy of the Commons – Web tutorial
Activating Prior Knowledge:
Prior to reading any material, what does the phrase ‘Tragedy of the Commons” mean to you at this moment? If you’ve never heard of this phrase, think about it and come to some sort of conclusion.
Discussion Board Share:
Share your definition on the Canvas discussion board
Web Tutorial:
Click here: ‘dedication to garrett hardin’. Read through the entire module and answer your tutorialbelow utilizing complete sentences.
- Who was Garrett Hardin?
Answer: He was the leading ecologist.
- Describe the examples of ‘tragedy of the commons’; include what was introduced to the commons and by whom.
Answer:
- What are some consequences to various situations of ‘tragedies’?
Answer:
- Hardin stated, “[The] commons, if justifiable at all, is justifiable only under conditions of low-population density. As the human population has increased, the commons has had to be abandoned in one aspect after another”. What does he mean with this statement?
Answer:
- Hardin stated, “The rational man 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. Since this is true for everyone, we are locked into a system of ‘fouling our own nest…’.” How would you respond to this statement?
Answer:
- What is meant by the term ‘common’ in this context? Provide some 2 other examples and non-examples (different from the tutorial’s examples).
Answer
- Watch both ‘tragedy in action’ animations in the web tutorial. What is the strategy of the people (individual and crowd) for both videos? Which video portrays typical human behavior?
Answer:
Watch this Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bs2P0wRod8U
- The video and the tutorial goes through a portrait of a tragedy; try to summarize these ideas.
Answer:
- Explain what a public good is, try to define all terms used.
Answer:
- The video and the tutorial provides insight into the fishing industry. What are some of the causes for the overfishing seen today? Why is there no incentive to conserve?
Answer:
- Summarize the three different solutions that the video discusses. Try to think about examples of each of these solutions in life, and record your reflections. Which solution do you think is the most effective? Why?
- What does the phrase ‘Tragedy of the Commons’ mean to you currently? Create a ‘kid-friendly’ definition. ☺