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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 (TakacsSanta 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 — TakácsSánta, 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).
