Thomas Robert Malthus
English economist and cleric who argued that population growth tends to outpace food production, leading to a Malthusian trap.
Thomas Robert Malthus (13/14 February 1766 – 29 December 1834) was an English economist, cleric, and scholar influential in the fields of political economy and demography. Born in Surrey, he was the sixth of seven children. His father, Daniel Malthus, was a gentleman of independent means and a friend of David Hume and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Malthus was born with a cleft lip and palate, a defect that had occurred in previous generations of his family and affected his speech; despite this, his friend Harriet Martineau noted his sonorous voice was the only one she could hear clearly without her ear trumpet. He was educated at the dissenting Warrington Academy and later by Gilbert Wakefield, before entering Jesus College, Cambridge, in 1784. There he graduated with honours as Ninth Wrangler in mathematics, took his MA in 1791, and became a fellow. He was ordained in the Church of England in 1789 and served as a curate in Surrey.
Malthus rose to prominence with his 1798 work *An Essay on the Principle of Population*, written in reaction to optimistic views of societal perfectibility held by his father and associates like Rousseau, as well as the writings of William Godwin and the Marquis de Condorcet. He argued that any increase in food production only temporarily improved well-being, as it inevitably led to population growth that restored the original per capita production level. This tendency for humans to use abundance for population increase rather than a higher standard of living became known as the Malthusian trap. He believed population growth was inevitable whenever conditions improved, precluding progress toward a utopian society, stating that the power of population is indefinitely greater than the earth’s power to produce subsistence. As an Anglican cleric, he saw this as divinely imposed to teach virtue. He held that population increase is necessarily limited by subsistence, that it invariably increases when subsistence increases, and that it is repressed by moral restraint, vice, and misery. Malthus criticized the Poor Laws for causing inflation and supported taxes on grain imports. His views influenced Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace in evolutionary biology, as well as Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. A frequent criticism was his failure to predict the Industrial Revolution. His work laid the theoretical foundation for debate
- born
- 13/14 February 1766
- died
- 29 December 1834
- field
- Political economy, demography
- nationality
- English
- known_for
- An Essay on the Principle of Population; Malthusian trap; Malthusian catastrophe
Lore & Background
Malthus was the sixth of seven children of Daniel Malthus and Henrietta Catherine. He was born at The Rookery in Westcott, near Dorking in Surrey. He had a cleft lip and palate which affected his speech. He was educated at Warrington Academy and later entered Jesus College, Cambridge, in 1784, graduating as Ninth Wrangler in mathematics. He took orders in the Church of England in 1789 and became a curate at Oakwood Chapel in Surrey. He became a Fellow of Jesus College in 1793. In 1799 he made a European tour with William Otter, visiting Germany, Scandinavia and Russia to gather population data. In 1805 he became Professor of History and Political Economy at the East India Company College in Hertfordshire. In 1818 he became a Fellow of the Royal Society.
Reader's Guide
In his 1798 book An Essay on the Principle of Population, Malthus observed that an increase in a nation's food production improved the well-being of the population, but the improvement was temporary because it led to population growth, which in turn restored the original per capita production level. He argued that the power of population is indefinitely greater than the power in the earth to produce subsistence for man. He wrote that 'the increase of population is necessarily limited by subsistence', 'population does invariably increase when the means of subsistence increase', and 'the superior power of population repress by moral restraint, vice, and misery.' He criticised the Poor Laws and supported taxes on grain imports (the Corn Laws). His views became influential across economic, political, social and scientific thought. Pioneers of evolutionary biology, including Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace, read him. Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison read Malthus. Malthus's failure to predict the Industrial Revolution was a frequent criticism of his theories.
Did You Know?
- Malthus's friend Harriet Martineau, who was hard of hearing, stated that due to his sonorous voice he was the only person she could hear well without her ear trumpet.
- Malthus's father Daniel was a friend of David Hume and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
- Malthus's students at the East India Company College affectionately referred to him as 'Pop', 'Population', or 'web-toe' Malthus.
Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)
"Thomas Robert Malthus (13 February 1766 – 29 December 1834) was an English demographer and political economist best known for his pessimistic but highly influential views on population growth." — Thomas Robert Malthus "It is an acknowledged truth in philosophy that a just theory will always be confirmed by experiment." — Thomas Robert Malthus "Population, when unchecked, increases in a geometrical ratio, Subsistence, increases only in an arithmetical ratio." — Thomas Robert Malthus "I feel no doubt whatever that the parish laws of England have contributed to raise the price of provisions and to lower the real price of labour." — Thomas Robert Malthus
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