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#2 (permalink) |
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Join Date: Sep 2000
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This was in response to Bodhi\'s post about authority being unnecessary.\r\n\r\nAdditionally, imagine the same society by the sea. Fishing ships are crashing on the rocks outside their port, and they are losing people, ships, and fish in huge numbers. The town council decides that it would be in the common good to build a lighthouse. The lighthouse would protect the fishing boats, and so they\'ll get some of the funds required by taking donations from the fishermen. The safety of the boats also benefits the people, since without the fish the boats bring in, the people starve. Thus, the people are also encouraged to donate to the fund for the construction of a lighthouse. Game theory tells us that almost no one will actually do it, unless they\'re forced by government. Why? Because if they contribute, they get the benefits of the lighthouse at a personal cost. If they don\'t contribute, it costs them nothing and they still get the benefits of the lighthouse! \r\n\r\nGame Theory isn\'t a way of finding political solutions, but it does work well in helping determine personal motives for action and/or inaction. It\'s also one mechanism by which we can see the flaws in the idea that if people would just get together and see what was in their own best interest, they\'d do it. By all evidence and trends - no they wouldn\'t.
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#3 (permalink) |
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The Tragedy of Commons:
Imagine that a community lives by the sea and makes its living by its fishing fleets. The economy is built on fish, and it's very strong. However, overfishing is becoming a serious problem, and it's threatening to ruin the economy and the society that depends on it. It's in the public's best interest to pull back a little and let the fish population recover, even if it means a slightly reduced profit margin in the near-term. The tragedy of commons say, however, that no one will do what's in the best interest of the public because they each have a powerful incentive to fish even more. If they quit overfishing, their competitors might not, and then they'd have a serious business advantage. What's more, the fish would still be depleted by all those who wouldn't do the right thing, so the only way to ensure survival is to do the wrong thing and keep overfishing. Thus, people will act in their own self-interest even when that self-interest is contrary to the public interest. |
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#5 (permalink) |
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Tim, your posts are too few and far apart - the least you could do is try to be coherent on those rare occassions when you do post!
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Le Bear Extraordinaire! Mike Brewer's 2008 Athleticon Challenge!!! Pushups Completed: 5 1/2 Situps Completed: Does using my hands count?
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