ABSTRACT
Ruin is the destination toward which all men rush, each pursuing his own best interest in a society that believes in the freedom of the commons. Freedom in a commons brings ruin to all. In an approximate way, the logic of the commons has been understood for a long time, perhaps since the discovery of agriculture or the invention of private property in real estate. The National Parks present one instance of the working out of the tragedy of the commons. In a reverse way, the tragedy of the commons reappears in problems of pollution. The tragedy of the commons as a food basket is averted by private property, or something formally like it. The tragedy of the commons is involved in population problems in another way. In a world governed solely by the principle of “dog eat dog”—if indeed there ever was such a world— how many children a family had would not be a matter of public concern.
