Competition is called the circumstance in which two entities relate to the resources of a given medium, trying to monopolize them completely and harming the other; In other words, a competitive relationship between two creatures implies that each benefits by harming the other.. The term can also refer to the different skills that are possessed for the performance of a specific task, although this use is less frequent and is due to an uncritical translation of the English term competence.
In economics, the notion of competition refers to a situation typical of a market where there are several suppliers and demanders for a specific good or service.. A market of perfect competition is one in which the different actors are unable to impose prices by their own means; the relationship between all these is what establishes the values. On the contrary, a market with distortions is one in which prices are not set by the equilibrium of the actors; For example, in a monopoly, the existence of a single bidder means that it has the power to set the prices it considers most appropriate. This is a case where the absence of competition harms the consumer, who must always choose the same bidder and under the conditions of this. Oligopolies constitute a similar phenomenon, in which there are fallacious conditions of competence, given that at least 2 alleged competitors are fighting for a given market; however, there are numerous cases of real collusion between these bidders, in which there is no genuine competition.
On the other hand, In biological sciences, the term is used to refer to a type of interspecific relationship between individuals of different species that need access to the same resources. When two different species need a limited resource and compete for it, one may eliminate the other. This phenomenon is of enormous importance in the evolutionary process, since it can completely eliminate some of the species involved. However, it is also possible that two species in need of the same resource can coexist without being eliminated. However, the relationships between species are not always competitive; in some cases at least one species benefits from the proximity of another. In this case, it is worth highlighting the processes of symbiosis (two species obtain mutual benefits from the relationship that links them), commensalism (one of the two organisms involved benefits without prejudice or advantages for the remaining member) or parasitism (one of the the two living beings are directly harmed by the other, who obtains all the benefits of the relationship).
In interpersonal relationships, competition is also commonplace. However, it should be noted that the progress of humanity has always been mainly based on cooperation. The hypothesis of "healthy competition" has been formulated to favor the development of people; This is a very common concept in sports practice, in which, although victory is praised on many occasions, it is also prudent to point out that respect for the opponent and the desire for competition are fabulous motivations that allow the growth of athletes as individuals and as a group.
Therefore, it is simplistic to postulate competition as a positive or negative fact in itself, since it will depend on the approach that participants or regulators offer in terms of the phenomenon. While in many cases competition is a true engine of growth, in conditions of extreme inequality it can behave as a damaging factor that requires regulation and control to avoid excesses.
