What are the underlying values upon which American laws are based?

The "tragedy of the commons" is a well-known concept in economics and game theory. I didn't come up with the name, and I sincerely wish whoever did would have come up with something better, but there we are. The concept doesn't have anything to do with the enclosure movement of the 17th and 18th centuries in Great Britain. It doesn't say anything about the injustice of enclosing common lands or the plight of those who had used the previously unenclosed commons. It's a metaphor for the dilemma created when limited public resources are made available to all on a first-come, first-served basis.

I can think of very few resources that are unlimited. Even air -- or, at least, clean air -- is a limited resource, and air pollution is a good example of the "tragedy of the commons."


Nor did I claim that you did. I merely pointed out that, when you asserted that "privileged elites have exploited special relationships to those in government for their personal and mutual benefit," you weren't responding to anything that I had written.

I think the underlying values upon which American laws are based came from the Bible... which in turn was based on paganism, which in turn was based on Ugg's long-lost treatise on soci0-environmental cooperation within cave dwelling societies.

Hammurabi.

Mostly English Common Law.

Yes, well, i didn't reject the concept of a tragedy of the commons entirely. Clean air is a goal we can attain. In North America, north of the Rio Grande, at least, there is abundant fresh water. We can't rely on petroleum, but solar energy, geothermal, wave and wind energy are, at least seemingly limitless. We have more than sufficient arable land to produce what we need to feed ourselves. In large measure, this "tragedy of the commons" respresents a view of resources which is narrow and specific. If you only look at petroleum as the energy resource, it applies. But if you are looking at energy sources and alternative forms of energy use, solar power makes the claim look ridiculous. If it were ever necessary to feed our population, farmers could be prohibited from growing grain to be converted to ethanol. That would be an interesting legislative attempt. Whether or not there are many resources which are limited i don't think is an issue. Whether or not most resources are limited is a good subject for debate.