Thomas Malthus

The Rev. Thomas Robert Malthus (February, 1766 – December 23, 1834), who is usually known as Thomas Malthus, although he preferred to be known as "Robert Malthus," was an English demographer and political economist best known for his pessimistic but highly influential views. Although it is popularly assumed that it was these pessimistic views that gave economics the nickname Dismal Science, the phrase was actually coined by the historian Thomas Carlyle in reference to an anti-slavery essay written by John Stuart Mill.

The influence of Malthus

The influence of Malthus's theory of population was very great. Previously, high fertility had been considered an economic plus since it increased the number of workers available to the economy. Malthus, however, looked at fertility from a new perspective and convinced most economists that even though high fertility might increase the gross output it tended to reduce output per capita. Many 20th century economists, such as Julian Simon, have criticised such conclusions. They note that despite the predictions of Malthus and the Neo-Malthusians, massive geometric population growth in the 20th century has not resulted in a Malthusian catastrophe, largely due to the influence of technological advances (especially the green revolution).

Related Topics:
20th century - Julian Simon - Malthusians - Geometric - Population - Malthusian - Green revolution

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In the 1830s his writings strongly influenced Whig reforms which overturned Tory paternalism and brought in the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834. Malthus's theory was also a key influence on both of the co-founders of modern evolutionary theory Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace. Darwin, in his book The Origin of Species, called his theory an application of the doctrines of Malthus in an area without the complicating factor of human intelligence. Wallace considered it "the most interesting coincidence" that both he and Darwin were independently led to the theory of evolution through reading Malthus. Ironically, given Malthus's own opposition to contraception, his work was also a strong influence on Francis Place (1771–1854), whose Neo-Malthusian movement was the first to advocate contraception.

Related Topics:
1830s - Whig - Tory - Poor Law Amendment Act - Evolution - Charles Darwin - Alfred Russel Wallace - The Origin of Species - Francis Place - 1771 - 1854

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Concerns about Malthus's theory also helped promote the idea of a national population Census in the UK. Government official John Rickman was instrumental in the first Census being conducted in 1801.

Related Topics:
Census - John Rickman - 1801

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Recent research and significant empirical evidence have showed Malthus to be wrong. For example, the population has continued to grow, yet the prices of resources and foods relative to wages has decreased, indicating the supply of food (and resources) has grown relative to population size. This apparent paradox can be easily resolved because Malthus made two flawed assumptions. First, population growth is almost never exponential, but instead influenced by so many factors that no simple model can describe it. Second, the growth of food is also not linear (in particular, due to technological advances, such as the Green Revolution, food has outgrown the human population). However, technological advances like those advanced in the green revolution have yet to prove sustainability and therefore cannot be depended on to perpetuate such a system.

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Nonetheless, Malthus continues to have considerable influence to this day. One famous recent example of this is Paul R. Ehrlich, author of The Population Bomb. Ehrlich predicted, in the late 1960s, that hundreds of millions would die from a coming overpopulation crisis in the 1970s, and that by 1980 life expectancy in the United States would be only 42 years.

Related Topics:
Paul R. Ehrlich - The Population Bomb - 1960s - 1970s - 1980 - United States

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