Garrett James Hardin (April 21, 1915 – September 14, 2003) was an American ecologist who warned of the dangers of overpopulation.
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. Use this quote
No one should be able to enter a wilderness by mechanical means. Use this quote
In a finite world this means that the per capita share of the world's goods must steadily decrease. Use this quote
Moreover, the practical recommendations deduced from ecological principles threaten the vested interests of commerce; it is hardly surprising that the financial and political power created by these investments should be used sometimes to suppress environmental impact studies. Use this quote
Education can counteract the natural tendency to do the wrong thing, but the inexorable succession of generations requires that the basis for this knowledge be constantly refreshed. Use this 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. Use this quote
Freedom in a commons brings ruin to all. Use this quote
Indeed, our particular concept of private property, which deters us from exhausting the positive resources of the earth, favors pollution. Use this quote
Of course, a positive growth rate might be taken as evidence that a population is below its optimum. Use this quote
Fundamentalists are panicked by the apparent disintegration of the family, the disappearance of certainty and the decay of morality. Fear leads them to ask, if we cannot trust the Bible, what can we trust? Use this quote
