Thomas Malthus:the Life and Writings
By Jon Mareane
Early Life Origins and Uprbringing
Thomas Robert Malthus was bornin 1766, in Dorking, England
He was the second son of eightchildren, six of whom were girls
Parenting Father Daniel Malthus, was active
in politics and enlightenmentphilosophy
Corresponded with Voltaire,Rousseau and Hume
When Malthus was a child, his father broughtJean-Jacques Rousseau to the Malthus home
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Education Primary Education
Malthus was educated privately,partly by his father and partly bytutors
Strongly politically driveneducation
Higher Education At the age of eighteen, in
1784, Malthus went up toCambridge
In spite of a "markedimpediment of speech,"Malthus did remarkably well inhis studies
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Principle of Population Essay
Principle of Population essay Full title: “An Essay on the Principle of Population as it affects the
Future Improvement on Society, with Remarks on theSpeculation of Mr. Godwin, M. Condorcet and other Writers.”
Malthuses most famous and paramount work
The basic idea expressed in Malthus’s 50, 000 word “Population”essay was simple; that population increases exponentially whilefood production increases at a constant rate
Deeper Malthusian Theory Humans have two inherent
and insatiable appetites; onefor sex and one for food
Population is controlled by“vice and misery” while undercarrying capacity
Once the populations demandfor food exceeds its supply, theweakest will die off
Impact Controversy
Malthus blamed much of the population problemon the poor
Father of birth control and family planning Religious institutions even today disapprove
Academic reception Theory counteracted the progress they were making
in societal development and change.
Connections to Darwin After reading Malthus’s essay and
connecting it to his findings on hisvoyage to South America did heformulate his theory of naturalselection
Organisms reproduce at anexponential rate, living off theiravailable resources until theresource becomes scarce, atwhich point the population levelsoff and those best suited to takeadvantage of the limited resourcessurvive and evolve.
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Relevance
Recent advances in medical and agriculturaltechnology seemed to have disbandedMalthusian theory
If we broaden the scope of Malthusianthought to include other non-edible resourcessuch as oil and coal, we see that Malthus’sthoughts may still ring true
Works Cited Finance And Economics: Malthus, the false prophet; Economics
focus. (2008, May). The Economist, 387(8580), 94. Retrieved February 21, 2010, from
Platinum Periodicals. (Document ID: 1480833101). John Attarian. (2002). Malthus revisited. The World &
I, 17(11), 257-271. Retrieved February 9, 2010, from Platinum Periodicals. (Document
ID: 228048401) “NPR TALK OF THE NATION.” Interview by Suarez and Cohen.
Malthus. NPR. 10 June 1998. Radio. Unknown. "Malthus, Thomas Robert." The Hutchinson Dictionary
of Ideas 2004: n.p.SIRS Renaissance. Web. 09 February 2010.