Thomas Malthus
Josie Fredericksen 1st Hour 3-20-16
Background
Thomas Malthus was born in 1766. He was the 7th child of his family. He received his education at home, and then at the Warrington Academy. The Academy shut down in 1783 and he was then tutored by Gilbert Wakefield. He went to Jesus College, Cambridge and Graduated with honors, and took the MA degree and was elected a Fellow of Jesus College. From there he became Professor of History and Political Economy at the East India Company College in Hertfordshire.
Malthusian Growth Model
Thomas Malthus published An Essay on the Principles of Population. He warned that the world's population was increasing faster than the food supplies needed to sustain it. He said that supplies grew Linearly, adding acreage and crops incrementally by the year. whereas population grew exponentially. His predictions assumed that food production was confined spatially. Though his theory had good thought it was not true. Countries are not closed systems, he did not see how globalization would help provide exchange of goods. Food production is actually grown exponentially as acreage under cultivation expands.
Lasting Legacy
Since his death in 1834, Malthus's model did not completely disappear. His Ideas continue to attract followers. The Neo-Malthusian scholars continue to share his concerns, even if they don't agree with every detail. They point out that human suffering is now occurring on a scale that was not even imagined. They argue that over population is a real problem that must be addressed now before its to late.
" Never underestimate the power and growth of population."