"The Tragedy of the Commons" is a term used to describe what happens to common resources as a result of human greed. It was first coined in an article in Science in 1968 by Garrett Hardin. The commons dilemma was seen long before Hardin, but he brought widespread attention to it and described it in a common-sense fashion that made it easily accessible.
At its core, the Tragedy of the Commons demonstrates that, in any situation where the consequences of a course of action are shared among a collective, while the benefits are reaped by an individual or single group within the collective, people will tend to take actions that in the long term are detrimental to the group as a whole. This is a tragedy because, in seeking their own personal gain, the members of the group actually ultimately hurt themselves.
In America today, and throughout the so-called "developed" world, The Tragedy of the Commons is unfolding right before our eyes as greed drives economic, environmental, and political decisions. As a result, humanity is facing possible extinction as a species. Should this occur, it will be a suicide, and greed will be our weapon.
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