Although Garrett Hardin's essay entitled "The Tragedy of the Commons" was written nearly 40 years ago, it has even more impact today than when it was written as we watch the population of the world continue to climb exponentially. His concern with overpopulation caused by, as he terms it, "the freedom to breed" is prevalent in all parts of the world today. In the third world where population is increasing at the greatest rate, starvation and disease run rampant. In the industrial world, the current population is beginning to tax natural resources such as fossil fuels, land and water just as Hardin predicted.
             Hardin begins by attacking the way in which the world would like to deal with the problem of overpopulation. In the modern world, we seek a technical solution by looking to improvements in agriculture or exploration of the sea. Hardin says that these measures will not solve the problem. He clearly states that there is no technical solution or, in other words, no easy way out. We do not know if the Earth's resources are finite; however, we do know that population, if left unchecked, will increase at such a rate that it will be impossible to keep up with it.
             In order to illustrate his point, Hardin introduces two antithetical concepts. The first is the idea of the "invisible hand" which was put forth by Adam Smith in The Wealth of Nations. According to Hardin, the "invisible hand" concept is completely erroneous and not helpful in establishing zero population growth. Smith's idea was that a person who is trying to gain for him/herself will also unknowingly contribute to the betterment of all. Hardin says this is absolutely false and needs to be disregarded. People do not unwittingly help the public interest while helping themselves.
             To prove this point, Hardin moves onto the second concept involving the common grazing areas, an example which Hardin terms ...