Thomas Robert Malthus (Noun)
Meaning
An English economist who argued that increases in population would outgrow increases in the means of subsistence (1766-1834).
Classification
Nouns denoting people.
Examples
- Thomas Robert Malthus' ideas about population growth and resource depletion were influential in the development of modern economic theory.
- The concept of a "Malthusian crisis" refers to a situation where the population growth rate exceeds the rate of increase in food production, leading to widespread famine and societal instability.
- In his book "An Essay on the Principle of Population," Malthus argued that unchecked population growth would inevitably lead to poverty and misery.
- Malthus' views on population growth were shaped by his observations of the social and economic conditions of the late 18th century, including the effects of the Industrial Revolution.
- According to Malthus, the only ways to prevent a Malthusian crisis were to reduce population growth through moral restraint, war, or natural disasters such as famines and epidemics.