the tragedy of the commons is what happens when everyone has an incentive to take a little more from a shared resource, until eventually there’s not much left for anyone.
one person overfishing doesn’t seem like a big deal. neither does one company polluting a little more, or one person wasting water.
the problem is when everyone thinks the same way.
individually rational choices can create a collectively terrible outcome.
the fisherman of halicarnassus
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chaotic neutral
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life in ancient greece
life in ancient greece varied greatly depending on a person's status, occupation, and location, but there were some common elements that characterized daily life for the majority of the population.
for most ancient greeks, the day began with a simple breakfast of bread, cheese, and perhaps a cup of wine. afterward, they would set off to work, whether that meant farming, crafting, or trading. the workday would typically last from sunrise to sunset.
after work, ancient greeks would return home to their families. dinner, the main meal of the day, was typically a communal affair, with the family eating together at a table. dinner might include a variety of foods such as vegetables, fruits, grains…
noteworthy entries of this week (3)
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tragedy of the commons
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universal basic income
universal basic income gets really interesting when you look at it sociologically, not just economically.
if everyone receives money simply for existing, work stops being the only thing connecting income to social worth. that could give people more freedom to leave terrible jobs, care for family, study, create something, or just say no to an employer.
but there are big questions too. who pays for it? is the amount actually enough to matter? does it come on top of healthcare and other benefits, or replace them? a badly designed ubi could even leave vulnerable people worse off if targeted support gets traded for the same flat payment everyone receives.
and the common idea that everyone would simply stop working isn’t really what existing experiments have shown. finland’s experiment found relatively small employment effects while recipients reported better wellbeing, less bureaucracy, and greater economic security.
maybe the biggest question isn’t “would people still work?” but how differently people would negotiate work if survival wasn’t completely tied to having a job. -
andrew carnegie
andrew carnegie went from a poor scottish immigrant to one of the richest people in the world.
in 1901, he sold carnegie steel to j.p. morgan for $480 million, then spent the rest of his life trying to give most of his fortune away. he ultimately gave away about $350 million and helped fund 2,509 libraries.
the interesting contradiction is that the fortune behind all that philanthropy came from an industrial empire known for brutal working conditions and major labor conflict.
one life somehow became a story about capitalism, extreme wealth, labor, and philanthropy all at once.