Reading Summaries

Tragedy of the Commons - Section #7
     This reading was taken from an essay written by Garrett Hardin.  It centers around the idea of a common ground or land that had been stripped of its worth due to people consuming as much as possible, and not thinking of the harm it has on the common land, thus resulting in a tragedy.  The essay discusses how the current world situation surrounding depleted resources cannot be solved through technological practices.  It must be looked at in a natural manner if resources are expected to one day become replenished.  Hardin applies the theory of the Tragedy of the Commons to a variety of situations, including a shared grazing land.  He suggests that it is not only stripping the land of its resources that creates damage, but also the addition of pollution.  Another strong topic that Hardin focuses on is the idea of consciousness.  He touches on the strengths and weaknesses of the consciousness, and how it plays a large role in the future.  The essay ends with some suggestions on solutions for the future, and a way to end the Tragedy of the Commons.

Human Carrying Capacity - Section #35
     This section was a small portion from a book titled How Many People Can the Earth Support? written by Joel E. Cohen.  Based on the title of the section, this portion of the book takes a look at the Earth's human carrying capacity.  It follows a case study of Easter Island, describing the first people to inhabit the island, and the changes that it underwent.  It gives examples of specific trees that were used to make rope, but that no longer exist on the island.  It goes on to highlight some of the causes that damaged the island, and mentions that the island is currently occupied by Chileans.  The reading also touches on Earth's population growth and decline.  Cohen states that if the Earth actually held the limit of people it could support, then humans would simply not tolerate it.  Cohen also describes carrying capacity as a transition through time, using an example of a man in four positions.  He believes that carrying capacity cannot be looked at as a constant due to continual changes around the world.  Therefore, in order to gage carrying capacity we must base it on future assumptions instead of the current world.

Collapse:  How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed - Section #38
     This article from the textbook covers a series of issues that lead to the success or failure of a variety of societies from around the world.  The author, Jared Diamond, gives thorough examples of societies that either thrived or diminished.  Through a list of eight problems Diamond highlights what caused societies to fail in the past, while putting emphasis on the same issues that continue to effect societies today.  Along with the eight original problems Diamond touches on four new problems that societies currently face, including human caused climate change, and energy shortages.  Diamond was able to pose interesting questions regarding technology as a help or a hindrance in the future.  He emphasizes that it is not just one factor that causes a society to fail or succeed, but a combination of many factors.  Diamond also suggests that in order to solve societies issues, large corporations need to work with the environment for a change to occur.