The Tragedy of the Commons Explained

Picture this: it’s a bright morning in some imaginary countryside, and you’re floating

above a wide green valley. In the middle of it, there’s a massive

open pasture, soft grass rippling in the wind like an ocean. Around the edges

of the field, you see small farms and villages, each with families, each with a herd

of animals. The rules here are simple: the pasture belongs to everyone. No one owns it.

Anyone can graze their animals for free. At first, it works beautifully.

A few cows here, a few sheep there, the land recovers, and everyone gets what they need.

But then something subtle happens. One herder thinks, “If I add just one more cow,