Thomas Robert Malthus in brief

Thomas Robert Malthus in brief

Theory of population

• Food constrains population growth
• Essay On The Principle Of Population: the planet’s population would always persist at a level simply adequate to support life -> the subsistence level
• Food has a leveling effect: 

+ food -> + births -> longer life -> according to Malthus the population can’t only grow

• + food -> the population will e creare exponentially but food production will grow linearly -> not enough food -> many people will die of hunger -> equilibrium
• Land availability , famine, desease are outside of human control -> “positive checks”
• He criticized the Elizabethan “poor laws” : social welfare and food redistribution to the poor would unravel in the long run