Thomas Robert Malthus
Also known as Thomas Malthus
English economist and cleric (1766 to 1834) who argued that population outruns food.
At a glance
Main ideas
The Malthusian trap, Population against subsistence, Checks on population …
See all 5Books to start with
An Essay on the Principle of Population, Principles of Political Economy, Definitions in Political Economy
See all 3Connections
David Ricardo, An Essay on the Principle of Population and Charles Darwin
See all 3
Also on this page: Key facts · Links · Sources · Related pages
- Malthus was an English economist, Anglican cleric and scholar of political economy and demography.
- In An Essay on the Principle of Population (1798) he argued that gains in food production are temporary, because they lead to population growth.
- He wrote against the 18th-century view that society was improving and could be perfected.
- He criticised the Poor Laws and supported the Corn Laws.
- Darwin and Wallace both read him.
Why it matters
- His idea, now called the "Malthusian trap", has shaped debate on population, hunger and famine for almost two centuries.
Key facts
- Born
- February 1766, The Rookery, Westcott, near Dorking, Surrey1
- Died
- 29 Dec 1834, of heart disease; buried in Bath Abbey1
- Education
- Jesus College, Cambridge, from 1784; Ninth Wrangler in mathematics; MA 1791, Fellow 17931
- Church
- Took orders in the Church of England in 1789; rector of Walesby, Lincolnshire, from 18031
- Professor
- History and Political Economy at the East India Company College, Hertfordshire, from 18051
- Royal Society
- Fellow from 18181
- Debate with Ricardo
- In the 1820s, over general gluts and the methods of political economy1
Main ideas
-
The Malthusian trap1
More food raises well-being only for a time, because it leads to more people.
-
Population against subsistence1
"The power of population is indefinitely greater than the power in the earth to produce subsistence for man."
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Checks on population1
Population is held down by moral restraint, vice and misery.
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Against the Poor Laws1
Poor relief raised prices rather than improving the well-being of the poor.
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General glut1
Against Say's law, he argued that a general glut was possible.
Books to start with
The line under a date fills as it gets older: empty when new, full at 2 years.
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An Essay on the Principle of Population1
His argument that population grows faster than food; six editions to 1826.
-
Principles of Political Economy1
Written to rival Ricardo's Principles.
-
Definitions in Political Economy1
The first glossary of defined terms published by an economist.
Connections
Related
- David RicardoDebated political economy with him in the 1820s
- Charles DarwinPersonDarwin's reading of Malthus's Essay in 1838 led him to natural selection
Links
Sources
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