The Philosopher's Stone Issue 3

The need for ethics

There clearly is a need for ethics as a set of behavioural rules to safeguard community interests. How do we know there is such a thing as a community with its own interests? This can be demonstrated through a game theory example, the tragedy of the commons.

Villagers use common land to let their cows graze. The grass supports 5 cows per inhabitant. However, those who secretly put more cows out there realise a profit. Every villager has an incentive to exceed the allotted number of cows. This reduces the amount of food per cow, the land can no longer feed the cows, and the system inevitably collapses.

Leaving the number of cows up to the individual will inevitably lead to a tragic outcome. The commons can only be utilised for everyone's benefit by referring to community interest or the common good of all stakeholders, i.e. that of preventing overuse. Sustainability depends on whether community interest as such is acknowledged and safeguarded. The function of ethics is to safeguard community interests for the benefit of all the individuals involved.

The tragedy of the commons can be applied in a lot of ways: people should not lie or steal as any community is based on the idea that most statements are truthful and that property is respected. In the absence of that the community collapses. Ethics is there to sustain communities and keep them prosperous.