The tragedy of the commons and the problem of collective action are two key concepts in the world of political science. They act on the assumption that man is a rational being who will act in his own self-interest. The concept of humanity is widely diverse in the sense that each individual has their own ideas about how society should function and how people should live. (heywood) This inevitably results in disagreement and this is where politics comes into play. Aristotle described politics as the "principal science", 'the activity through which human beings attempt to improve their lives and create the Good Society.' Through the tragedy of the commons and the problem of collective action we can see how politics is essentially the "quest for conflict resolution" (heywood) and aims to create a cohesive society that benefits all. Elinor Ostrom p186 goes so far as to say “The theory of collective action is the central subject of political science”. The idea of ​​collective action is essentially when a group of individuals with common interests work together to promote those common interests to advantage of all. Indeed, collective action problems permeate all aspects of politics, from the local neighborhood level to the international level (ostrom) Collective action can be seen at work in international relations, public bureaucracies and also explains voting, the formation of pressure groups and how citizens control their governments. (presidential ostrom) Cerny (site) states that "the state has been the key structural arena within the which collective action was situated and undertaken". However, collective action can prove difficult for groups to achieve. It assumes that individuals act rationally and aim to pursue their personal goals. Man is assumed to be the focus of the article trom, E., 1998. A behavioral approach to the rational choice theory of collective action: presidential address. The American Political Science Review, 92(1), pp. 1-22. Ostrom, E., 2000. Collective action and the evolution of social norms. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 14(3), pp. 137-158.Ostrom, E., 2007. Collective action theory. In: C. Boix and S. C. Stokes, eds. The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Politics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 186-208.Ostrom, E., 2008. Tragedy of the Commons. In: SN Durlauf & LE Blume, eds. The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.Stoker, G., 2006. Why politics matters. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.Tierney, J., 2009. The non-tragedy of the commons. [Online]Available at: http://tierneylab.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/15/the-non-tragedy-of-the-commons/?_r=1[Accessed January 11 2014]