ABSTRACT
Each fall term at the University of Oregon, the first reading I assign to 220 or so students in my Introduction to Environmental Studies course is a summary and discussion of Garrett Hardin’s classic essay ‘The Tragedy of the Commons’ (Hardin, 1968). This might not be surprising, since Hardin’s essay is often required reading at or near the beginning of many textbooks in environmental studies and related fields. The choice to begin with Hardin’s essay might seem more surprising, however, in a course taught by a social scientist such as myself, trained since graduate school in often quite harsh critiques of Hardin’s work. I, like many social scientists, consider Hardin’s essay deeply flawed as social analysis, and still worse as a prescription for policy. Why, then, does this article continue to hold such a prominent position, even among its critics? The reasons are instructive.
