Garrett Hardin Quotes

Quotes about:

• You cannot do only one thing.

  Garrett Hardin

  One Thing

  46 Copy quote

• Ruin is the destination toward which all men rush, each pursuing his own best interest in a society that believes in the freedom of the commons.

  Garrett Hardin

  Believe, Men, Ruins

  "The Tragedy of the Commons," Science, 13 Dec. 1968

  13 Copy quote

• In a competitive world of limited resources, total freedom of individual action is intolerable

  Garrett Hardin

  Limited Resources, World, Action

  Garrett James Hardin (1999). “The Ostrich Factor: Our Population Myopia”, p.140, Oxford University Press on Demand

  15 Copy quote

• Freedom in a commons brings ruin to all.

  Garrett Hardin

  Ruins

  "The Tragedy of the Commons," Science, 13 Dec. 1968

  12 Copy quote

• The rational herdsman concludes that the only sensible course for him to pursue is to add another animal to his herd. And another; and another . . . But this is the conclusion reached by each and every rational herdsman sharing a commons. Therein is the tragedy. Each man is locked into a system that compels him to increase his herd without limit — in a world that is limited. Ruin is the destination toward which all men rush, each pursuing his own best interest in a society that believes in the freedom of the commons. Freedom in a commons brings ruin to all.

  Garrett Hardin

  Believe, Men, Animal

  "The Tragedy of the Commons," Science, 13 Dec. 1968

  22 Copy quote

• You can never do merely one thing. The law applies to any action that changes something in a complex system. The point is that an action taken to alleviate a problem will trigger several effects, some of which may offset or even negate the one intended.

  Garrett Hardin

  Change, Taken, Law

  4 Copy quote

• Every plausible policy must be followed by the question 'And then what?'

  Garrett Hardin

  Policy, Plausible

  4 Copy quote

• A finite world can support only a finite population; therefore, population growth must eventually equal zero.

  Garrett Hardin

  Zero, Support, Growth

  Garrett James Hardin (1972). “Exploring new ethics for survival: the voyage of the spaceship Beagle”, Viking Adult

  12 Copy quote

• There is nothing more dangerous than a shallow thinking compassionate person

  Garrett Hardin

  Thinking, Shallow, Dangerous

  11 Copy quote

• Society does not need more children; but it does need more loved children. Quite literally, we cannot afford unloved children - but we pay heavily for them every day. There should not be the slightest communal concern when a woman elects to destroy the life of her thousandth-of-an-ounce embryo. But all society should rise up in alarm when it hears that a baby that is not wanted is about to be born.

  Garrett Hardin

  Baby, Children, Feminist

  18 Copy quote

• The only thing we can really count on in this uncertain world is human unreliability itself.

  Garrett Hardin

  Unreliability, World, Uncertain

  Garrett James Hardin (1985). “Filters Against Folly: How to Survive Despite Economists, Ecologists, and the Merely Eloquent”, Penguin Group USA

  12 Copy quote

• Never globalize a problem if it can possibly be dealt with locally.

  Garrett Hardin

  Problem, Ifs

  Garrett Hardin (1995). “Living within Limits: Ecology, Economics, and Population Taboos”, p.278, Oxford University Press

  4 Copy quote

• Ecology is the overall science of which economics is a minor speciality.

  Garrett Hardin

  Economics, Ecology, Minors

  8 Copy quote

• No one should be able to enter a wilderness by mechanical means.

  Garrett Hardin

  Mean, Environmental, Able

  18 Copy quote

• A technical solution may be defined as one that requires a change only in the techniques of the natural sciences, demanding little or nothing in the way of change in human values or ideas of morality.

  Garrett Hardin

  Ideas, Technique, May

  Garrett James Hardin (1995). “The Immigration Dilemma: Avoiding the Tragedy of the Commons”, F A I R-Federation for American Immigration Reform

  9 Copy quote

• The population problem has no technical solution; it requires a fundamental extension in morality.

  Garrett Hardin

  Population Problem, Fundamentals, Morality

  Garrett James Hardin (1972). “Exploring new ethics for survival: the voyage of the spaceship Beagle”, Viking Adult

  7 Copy quote

• Ecological differentiation is the necessary condition for coexistence.

  Garrett Hardin

  Differentiation, Ecology, Ecological

  Garrett James Hardin (1961). “Biology, its principles and implications”

  6 Copy quote

• The greatest folly is to accept expert statements uncritically. At the very least, we should always seek another opinion.

  Garrett Hardin

  Experts, Opinion, Accepting

  Garrett James Hardin (1985). “Filters Against Folly: How to Survive Despite Economists, Ecologists, and the Merely Eloquent”, Penguin Group USA

  4 Copy quote

• The only kind of coercion I recommend is mutual coercion, mutually agreed upon by the majority of the people affected.

  Garrett Hardin

  People, Majority, Coercion

  7 Copy quote

• It takes five years for a willing person's mind to change. Have patience with yourself and others when treading in an area protected by a taboo.

  Garrett Hardin

  Years, Mind, Atheism

  10 Copy quote

• Value is a relative concept: the value of each action is determined by comparing it with other possible actions.

  Garrett Hardin

  Determined, Action, Compare

  Garrett James Hardin (1985). “Filters Against Folly: How to Survive Despite Economists, Ecologists, and the Merely Eloquent”, Penguin Group USA

  4 Copy quote

• The essence of dramatic tragedy is not unhappiness. It resides in the solemnity of the remorseless working of things.

  Garrett Hardin

  Essence, Tragedy, Dramatic

  Garrett James Hardin (1995). “The Immigration Dilemma: Avoiding the Tragedy of the Commons”, F A I R-Federation for American Immigration Reform

  9 Copy quote

• Why are ecologists and environmentalists so feared and hated? This is because in part what they have to say is new to the general public, and the new is always alarming.

  Garrett Hardin

  Environmental, Environmentalist, Hated

  Garrett James Hardin (1982). “Naked emperors: essays of a taboo-stalker”, Course Technology Ptr

  12 Copy quote

• A coldly rationalist individualist can deny that he has any obligation to make sacrifices for the future.

  Garrett Hardin

  Sacrifice, Deny, Obligation

  "Filters Against Folly". Book by Garrett Hardin, 1985.

  8 Copy quote

• Every measured thing is part of a web of variables more richly interconnected than we know.

  Garrett Hardin

  Variables, Knows, Interconnected

  Garrett James Hardin (1985). “Filters Against Folly: How to Survive Despite Economists, Ecologists, and the Merely Eloquent”, Penguin Group USA

  6 Copy quote

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