Malthus, << MAL thuhs, >> Thomas Robert (1766-1834), was an English economist. He is best known for his Essay on the Principle of Population (1798). His main idea in this book is that population tends to increase more rapidly than food supplies. He believed that wars and disease would have to kill off the extra population, unless people limited the number of their children.
Malthus’s Essay suggested to Charles Darwin the relationship between progress and natural selection. This was a basic idea in Darwin’s theory of evolution (see Darwin, Charles R. ). Malthus’s prediction failed to come true in the 1800’s. Improved methods of agriculture provided enough food for most people. But rapid population growth in the 1900’s, especially in underdeveloped countries, led to renewed interest in Malthus’s theories. Many conservationists warn that food production cannot keep pace with population indefinitely. But others disagree, claiming that food production technology continues to improve.
Malthus was born on Feb. 17, 1766, in Surrey. He decided to be a clergyman and graduated from Cambridge University. About 1796, he took a parish in Surrey. He became a professor of history and political economy in the college of the East India Company in 1805 and held this post until his death on Dec. 23, 1834.
See also Food supply ; Population (Effects) .
