Comment by gessha
11 days ago
The commons are not destined to become a tragedy and they can become a long-term resource everyone can enjoy[1]. You need clear boundaries, reliable monitoring of shared resource, reasonable balance between costs and benefits, etc.
> I'm conducting research! Ignore the fact that once I have the data, I'm going to turn around and give it to this company
Or weasel out of being a non-profit.
[1] https://aeon.co/essays/the-tragedy-of-the-commons-is-a-false...
Hm. I hadn't understood the Tragedy of the Commons to be an inevitability, merely a phenomenon—something that does happen sometimes, not something that must happen all the time.
And unfortunately, in our current culture, at least in the US, it's much more likely than not when the circumstances allow it. We will need generations' worth of work firmly demonstrating that things can be better for everyone when we all agree to share in things equally, rather than allowing individuals to take what's meant for everyone.