-----Original Message----- From: lbo-talk-bounces at lbo-talk.org [mailto:lbo-talk-bounces at lbo-talk.org] On Behalf Of Michael Pollak
Given this, there's a simple answer to the answer of why these few societies self-destructed. And it's not an obscure answer. It was the founding argument of modern ecology, namely the collective action problem, originally termed "the tragedy of the commons." In a situation of finite resources, short term, rational action will *always* lead to long-term collectively irrational results *unless an overarching institution is created that changes the short term calculus.*
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Except that Hardin's hypothesis has been mercilessly debunked on the basis of historical evidence and alternative approaches to thinking about what constitutes collective action and rationality.
Ian