Oldal 163 [163]
THE TRAGEDY AND COMEDY OF THE COMMONS 161
The best solution:
the diversity of approaches
Which is the most effective of the four approaches? Which one(s) should we
choose? Undoubtedly, each has its advantages, but, as has been seen, each has
limitations, too. Consequently, none should be discarded, and none should be
taken as the only remedy. Rather, the joint, complementary application of all four
approaches might be the most effective method for the prevention, alleviation, or
solution of our environmental problems. Nevertheless, we predominantly only
experiment with governmental action and informative education, the other two
approaches being rather ignored. Hence, the relative weakness of social responses
to the environmental problems given so far might derive from the neglect of two
of the four basic strategies. We need to replace some of the basic elements of our
thinking (e.g. Orr 1994; Takacs-Sénta 2007), and we should eliminate the current
atomisation of Western societies, and discover (small) communities again (Takacs¬
Santa 2017).!8
Recommended readings
Feeny, David — Berkes, Fikret - McCay, Bonnie J. — Acheson, James M. 1990. “The
tragedy of the commons: Twenty-two years later”. Human Ecology, 18: 1-19. (In
Hung:: A közlegelők tragédiája: huszonkét évvel később. In Pataki, György — Takács¬
Sánta, András (eds.): Természet és gazdaság: Ökológiai közgazdaságtan szöveggyűjtemény.
Budapest, Typotex, 2004, 142-163.)
An important critique of Hardin’s classic writing. The authors show, on the one hand,
that collective ownership of the commons may help evade the tragedy, and on the
other, that none of the private, state or collective ownerships may be excluded from
the options for preventing the tragedy.
Hardin, Garrett 1968. The tragedy of the commons. Science, 162, 1243-1248. (In Hung.:
A közlegelők tragédiája. In Lányi, András (szerk.): Természet és szabadság:
Humánökológiai olvasókönyv. Budapest, Osiris, 2000, 219—231.)
A classic article on the evasion of the tragedy of the commons, which has inspired endless
further research and thought.
15 A notable microcosmic example of the implementation of ecological sustainability and the
prevention of “the tragedy of the commons” is the history of the society of Tikopia island in the
South Seas (Kirch 1997; Diamond 2005). Our research confirms that it was made possible thanks
to the joint application of all four of these approaches (Takécs-Sänta — Bôdi 2016; Takécs-Sänta
2017; Bödi — Takäcs-Sänta 2021).