Definition

Proper noun An English economist and demographer, best known for his influential theory that population growth, when unchecked, increases at a geometric rate while the means of subsistence (food production) increases only at an arithmetic rate. He argued that this disparity would inevitably lead to widespread poverty and famine unless checked by preventive measures like moral restraint or positive checks like disease and war.

Usage

• Thomas Robert Malthus is a key figure in the history of economic and demographic thought.
• The theories of Thomas Robert Malthus were highly controversial in his time.
• Malthus argued that population tends to outstrip the food supply.

Advanced Usage

• Malthusian (adj): Relating to or characteristic of the theories of Thomas Malthus.
  • The book presented a Malthusian view of future resource scarcity.
• Malthusianism (n): The set of ideas and theories developed by Thomas Malthus.
  • Critics of Malthusianism often point to technological advances in agriculture.

Variants and Related Words

• Malthus: The common shortened form of his name.
• Malthusian: Used as both an adjective and a noun to describe his theories or a follower of them.
• Malthusianism: The doctrine or system of thought based on his principles.

Synonyms

• Demographer
• Political economist

Related Concepts and Phrases

• Malthusian catastrophe: A hypothetical event where population growth outpaces agricultural production, leading to a societal collapse.
• Malthusian trap: The theory that advances in a society's standard of living are unsustainable as they lead to population growth that eventually depletes resources.
• An Essay on the Principle of Population: The full title of Malthus's seminal work, first published in 1798.

Noun

1. an English economist who argued that increases in population would outgrow increases in the means of subsistence (1766-1834)