The world's oceans are over-fished. It takes more land resources to bring animals to slaughter than it does to grow vegetables that could feed the world. What may be pleasurable, or even good for the individual is not necessarily what is good for the 'common' -- for the majority of the people who will have to live on a planet being depleted of natural resources. This is also true for car-buying habits. When the price of gas goes up, there is often a shift to purchasing more fuel-efficient cars. However, as the price of gas goes down, particularly in the United States, the trend for larger, showier and more fashionable cars tends to increase. People are also loath to take public transportation, except in cities notable for their congestion and good public transportation systems like New York City. Personal self-interest in saving money cannot be relied upon to change car-buying habits in a meaningful way to create real changes for the environment, nor can changes in eating habits. People have enough trouble limiting their consumption simply to lose weight,...
This is why there is a necessity for the government to pressure people to change their behavior with carrots and, if necessary, sticks. Neither good will to others not self-interest can be relied upon to change personal behavior. Individual behavior has a collective impact and must be regulated with fuel efficiency standards and limits upon how much land our agricultural industry can use to raise meat. Fishing must be heavily regulated. These may result in a short-term loss of pleasure for the current residents of planet Earth, but they are necessary for the long-term well being of the environment.
Tragedy of the Commons Few people would deny that overpopulation is a major problem. Even sparsely populated nations feel the brunt of the overpopulation problem because overpopulation affects the environment, politics, and the global market economy. The world currently holds six billion plus individual human beings, an unprecedented number. Rainforests are being cut down and soil depleted of their natural nutritive qualities in an attempt to please human appetites and keep
" To quote the Encyclopedia of World Biography's entry on Thomas Paine (2004) "his contributions included an attack on slavery and the slave trade. His literary eloquence received recognition with the appearance of his 79-page pamphlet titled Common Sense (1776). Here was a powerful exhortation for immediate independence. Americans had been quarreling with Parliament; Paine now redirected their case toward monarchy and to George III himself -- a 'hardened, sullen tempered
Tragedy of the commons refers to a situation where each individual, when engaged in profit-maximizing behavior, causes overall damage to common property. The principle reflects two ideas. The first is the economic idea of profit maximization, wherein it is held that in general each individual will seek to maximize their own outcomes. The second idea is that in doing so individuals will generally exploit common property. Indeed, transactions between individuals
Then comedy disappeared when the Roman Empire collapsed. Nonetheless, the moulds for its future development had been cast. Greek comedies were rediscovered during the Renaissance, the point of origin of comedy as we know it today. Furthermore, the Renaissance brought two major developments to the comedy: the commedia dell'arte, and plot developments and defined archetypal characters (Storey: 407). "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is what theoreticians may call a classical
Nevertheless, it was his curiosity that made him popular and it would only make sense that it would be his downfall as well. This very human aspect of the king allows us to relate to him and a persona level. The final tragic move in the play occurs as Oedipus chooses to leave his Thebes. His attempt to rid the city of contamination is brave. He realizes his failure and
Tragedy and the Common Man," he contemplates the idea that only the wealthy, noble characters can fully understand tragedy, and therefore appreciate it. That thought is not a reflection of his own opinion, as Miller argues the case of tragedy and the common, working class man - for tragedy knows no income boundaries, but rather that this person would "lay down his life...to secure one thing - his sense
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