Malthus

mal thus, Thomas Robert (1766-1834), a political economist of England. He was educated for the church, but led the life of a college professor. Malthus is known for his famous Essay on the Principles of Population, published in 1798. In this work he set forth what is known as the Malthusian Doctrine, to the effect that the population of the world has a tendency to increase much faster than the food supply, resulting in crowded centers of population and consequent misery. He took a very serious view of the situation and urged upon parents the propriety of raising small families, a doctrine directly opposite to that of President Roosevelt and others with greater confidence in the future of civilization. According to Malthus, population increases geometrically as 3, 9, 27, 81, 243, etc., while the means of support increase arithmetically as in the series 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, etc. This doctrine leaves out of account both the influence of scientific inventions upon the food supply and a probable tendency in dense populations to decrease the birth rate.