Freedom In A Commons Brings Ruin To

Economists (and Others) Who Are Satisfied With Nature-free Equations Develop A Dangerous Hubris About The Potency Of Our Species

Every Measured Thing Is Part Of A Web Of Variables More Richly Interconnected Than We Know.

Why Are Ecologists And Environmentalists So Feared And Hated? This Is Because In Part What They Have To Say Is New To The General Public, And The New Is Always Alarming.

The Rational Herdsman Concludes That The Only Sensible Course For Him To Pursue Is To Add Another Animal To His Herd. And Another; And Another . . . But This Is The Conclusion Reached By Each And Every Rational Herdsman Sharing A Commons. Therein Is The Tragedy. Each Man Is Locked Into A System That Compels Him To Increase His Herd Without Limit — In A World That Is Limited. 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.

However, I Think The Major Opposition To Ecology Has Deeper Roots Than Mere Economics; Ecology Threatens Widely Held Values So Fundamental That They Must Be Called Religious.