Predictably Irrational

by Dan Ariely

  *The Boston Common, today a public park in downtown Boston, was created in 1634 as a designated common pasture for grazing animals.

  *The two political parties engendered the same level of mistrust, even in the eyes of their own voters. This means that Democrats and Republicans did not believe that their own party was more trustworthy than the opposing party—a sad picture indeed.

  *The tragedy of the commons refers to a situation in which individuals, acting to promote their own self-interest, ultimately deplete a shared limited resource—even when it hurts everyone, including themselves, in the long term.

  *As the Commandments vary by religion, correct answers could be from any version. For your interest, here are three versions.