What COVID-19 Tells Us About the Tragedy of the Commons

What COVID-19 Tells Us About the Tragedy of the Commons Why we need to stop the spread of fear, irrationality, and selfishness.

A decent read approaching a current tragedy of the commons, although I think the hoarding has started to temper down. An important excerpt about hoarding (over-harvesting):

Like a virus, in its own right, the concept of benefitting from over-harvesting spreads; and soon enough, it becomes the case that over-harvesting is no longer about benefit, it’s about self-preservation. Restraint is no longer about helping everyone to win—it’s now equated with personal loss, given its abandonment by others. Therein lies the tragedy of the commons.

In conclusion, when we evaluate our actions during times of crisis (especially now as strategies for curtailing COVID-19’s spread have evolved into social distancing and isolation), consider also the Tragedy of the Commons. By all means, self-preserve. But, just as you should avoid spreading COVID-19, please stop the spread of fear, irrationality, and selfishness.

 My 2 runs for the week:

Comment to Phil, Questioned Marx quote, Mon Apr 13
Comment to Ndaru, TDH response, Sat Apr 18
Comment to Phil, Keep it up, Sat Apr 18
Comment to Jonesin, Are ordinary people capable of great evil, Sat Apr 18
Comment to Stephen Rhodes, Do you agree that people that can't remember their crimes are innocent?, Sat Apr 18
Comment to Matt Rigney, I would simply ask an atheist, why do you believe what you do?, Sat Apr 18
Posted What COVID-19 Tells Us About the Tragedy of the Commons, Sat Apr 18