Abstract of Hardin’s The Tragedy of the Commons

In The Tragedy of the Commons, Garrett Hardin, the author, asserts that the freedom to breed within the public commons of humanity must be eliminated. Reasons for this abandonment of freedom include the fact that a maximized population cannot coexist with maximized goods, pollution is a direct result of population, and campaigns surrounding "responsible parenting" aren’t extremely effectual due to personal interests.

First of all, it is mathematically impossible to maximize two variables simultaneously, and thus impossible to maximize both population and the goods provided to the population. Biologically, to even approach a simultaneous maximization requires that individuals bring their intake as close to nothing as possible. Socially impossible due to the fact that individuals are unwilling to relinquish goods and privileges they currently posses, the simultaneous maximization is once again rendered unattainable. This impossibility shows that in order for the population to retain a sensible amount of goods, population growth must be limited.

Next, and perhaps most obvious, is the fact that pollution is linked to population growth. A free-enterprise concept existing among people holds that individual profit is only attainable by retaining resources. Thus, since purifying wastes is economically taxing, most individuals simply discard waste.

Finally, "conscience" conflicts with personal interest to prevent campaigns such as "responsible parenting" from succeeding to any appreciable degree. From an individual’s standpoint, conscience is fed by the propaganda, but is nullified by the self-interest which asserts that "if you don’t take advantage of this freedom, others will."

These three reasons strongly suggest that the population problem facing earth today is a dilemma for which no technical solution exists. Thus, the only way to save humanity from ruin (which is the inevitable result of freedom within the commons of a maximized population) is to isolate and prevent the freedom to breed within the commons of humanity.