I have heard of Prisoner’s Dilemma before this reading, but never thought about the Seven Deadly Dilemmas that society faces. The idea of the free rider dilemma struck me the most and I feel like it is because we do not know the damage it can cause unless it is a large amount. It reminds me of the situation Wikipedia faces. Even though it is not a reliable source, many people still use it, myself included. We do not pay to access the site, yet we benefit from the information that we find there. Wikipedia pages sometimes ask for donations now, is this because of the free rider dilemma or some other corporation issue?
I also believe that the free rider dilemma is potentially the most consequential. Since we do not see its damage until after the fact, it can cause some serious issues in our society. Absolute cooperation I believe is impossible in our society because we have many beliefs systems, wants, and desires as humans. Maybe not having absolute cooperation is what drives us to have varying opinions and ideas for decisions.
I knew that the free rider problem presented an issue to society, but I did not realize the extent of it. Without any regulation, the benefit is enjoyed by those who do not pay and the cost falls on those who do pay. The free rider problem can be seen in increased rates for public transportation or even stores restricting bathroom use to only patrons.
I think you pose an interesting example of Wikipedia in your response. I have listened to interviews with the founder of Wikipedia, and since they do not run ads on the site, they ask for donations to keep the resource running and to hire fact-checkers to ensure the information is accurate. Freeriding in this example is interesting because I think largely, as a society, we do not opt to donate to campaigns unless it is something we strongly believe in or believe we gain something in donating to: either in approval from the rest of the group or some kind of gift from others.
I like your comment about absolute cooperation being impossible in our society. It’s not optimistic, but it is realistic. People come from various backgrounds that each have their worldview towards ethics, trust and risk assessment. These factors affect how society chooses or refrains from cooperating.
In response to your analysis of the free rider problem, I also think it is the most dangerous because it is usually so easy to pull off, and often not recognizable. There are so many ways to hide your lack of work and effort, especially in school and the workplace, without being punished. I wonder if the free rider problem is self curable though. If everybody starts to free ride then nobody benefits and if anybody wants to benefit then work has to be done. This is relevant in politics as well with legislatures free riding during the year then riding off others accomplishments when it comes to election time.
I have never thought of using Wikipedia as free-riding, but that is a really good example of something everyone does that is free-riding. I also think free-riding is dangerous because it can be done in secret and the more that someone does it, the easier it becomes for them to do it again.
Your question about Wikipedia is a great question. I never thought about it like that but I sometimes notice the donation requests as well and I wonder if it’s the free-rider dilemma. I also agree that it may be the most dangerous. It’s hard to detect and stop.
I agree with you about the Wikipedia problem. I think it could also be considered a volunteer’s dilemma because we all want to reap the benefits of reading Wikipedia, but no one wants to be the one to give to them. We also feel like someone else will do it so we don’t have to.