Paradoxes on the Commons: Scarcity and the Problem of Equality

Resource scarcities challenge the fundamental assumptions of a reward-oriented, egalitarian society because scarcity itself usually means some unequal allocation of the scarce goods. Maintaining a societal ethic of equality and a high value on happiness while chronically contradicting these in practice requires that certain social paradoxes be maintained; the resulting dissonances add stress to the community already afflicted. This problem is addressed from the point of view of commons dynamics and as problems in value conflict and social structure. The theory of tragic choices, which assumes that inequality, scarcity, and suffering are facts of human existence, is reviewed and compared with game, social trap, and equity psychological theories. The comparison suggests that tragic choice theory's basic assumptions have merit. Implications are explored in a functionalistic analysis of adaptive behaviors in commons scarcities. It is proposed that under some conditions, the commons is better preserved by accepting inequality among subgroups than by either maintaining equality of all members or by dictatorial control. The psychological qualities of honesty (following tragic choice theory), trust, and trustworthiness are identified as functional qualities in this group problem, but happiness is not. (3 p ref)