The tragedy of the commons

‘The tragedy of the commons’, a 1968 thought experiment Garrett Hardin derived from a 19th Century successor to Robert Malthus, achieved rapid popularity in an era of widespread fear of overpopulation, and has remained influential ever since. This chapter outlines the history of the concept, analyzes critiques of it, and demonstrates its continuing utility in environmental communication. Hardin’s extended hypothetical example is a vicarious narrative implying a deductive argument applied by analogy to ecological issues. Hardin’s inconsistent application of this analogy reveals that adopting his rhetorical strategy necessitates acceptance of neither his overpopulation thesis nor his political and social views.