Thomas Robert Malthus

At first he was nothing more than a pastor who completely unknown. But in 1798 the English clergyman named Thomas Robert Malthus published a book that although very thin but influential. It's called An Essay on the Principle of Population as it Affects the Future Improvement of Society.
Malthus's main thesis is the notion that growth exceeded population
growth tends to the food supply. In this he has an original essay, Malthus presents his ideas in the form of a fairly rigid. He said, the population tends to grow "geometrically" (ie, the symbol 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 and so on) while food supply tends to grow "arithmetically" (eg, in rows 1, 2, 3, 4 , 5, 6, 7 and so on). In recent publications, Malthus stressed again his thesis, but not as rigid as the original, with only said that the population tends to grow indefinitely until it reaches the limit of food supply. Description of the two forms of the thesis that, Malthus concluded that the quantity of human will kejeblos into the swamp of poverty and hunger are ditubir. In the long run, there is no technological progress that shifts the situation, because the increase in food supply is limited, whereas "infinite population growth, and the earth could not keep memprodusir food for human existence."

However, population growth can not dammed in this way or that way? Actually not. War, plague or other calamity is often able to reduce the population. However, this kind of suffering only a temporary calmness served most of the population while the threat still hung over the head with a cost that is not fun. Berusul Malthus, a better way to prevent most of the population is "moral control." Apparently, what he meant by the term that a combination of slow mate, stay away from premarital sex, voluntarily refrain from intercourse frequency. However, Malthus quite realistic and realize that most people do not take care with the control-control kind of way. He further concluded that a more practical way is to stick to what it is: most people in something that can not be avoided anymore, and poverty is the fate of the people thereof could not escape. What a pessimistic conclusion!

Although Malthus had never advocated any population control through contraception, such proposal is a normal consequence of the idea anyway. The first person who openly advocated the use of contraceptives widely to prevent most of the population was an influential English reformer, Francis Place (1771-1854). Place the reading Malthus's essay, and very influenced by him, wrote a book in 1822, which it advocated contraception. He also divide the description of birth control among the working class. In the United States, Dr. Charles Knowlton published a book on contraception in 1832. "Institutions of Malthus' first formed in 1860 and the recommendations of family planning thereby increasing adherents. Since Malthus himself did not agree - on the basis of moral reasons - the use of contraceptives, the suggestion of limiting the increase in the number of people using contraceptive devices are usually called "neo-Malthusian."

Malthus doctrine also has important consequences for economic theory. The economists who influenced Malthus concluded that, under normal circumstances, most people can prevent wage increases beyond reasonable limits. The famous British economist, David Ricardo, Malthus was a close friend said: "The wages of a decent wage for workers is necessary to enable the workers to live and survive the battle, with no increases or decreases." This theory is commonly called "steel-wage law," approved by Karl Marx, and became an important element in his theory of "value."

Malthus's view also affects biological sciences. Charles Darwin said that he had read the Essay on the Principle of Population Malthus, and this presents an important link in the theory of evolution by natural selection.

Malthus was born in 1766, near Dorking in Surrey, England, he attended Jesus College at Cambridge University as a brilliant student. He graduated in 1788 and was assigned as an Anglican priest that same year. And in 1791 he received the title of "master" and in 1793 he became a relative of Jesus College.

The first version of the original work was published without a name, but widely read book and quickly make Malthus fame. A longer version of his essay was published five years later, in 1803.

The book repeatedly repaired and extended and the 6th edition appeared in 1826.

Malthus married in 1804 at the age of thirty-eight years. In 1805 he was appointed a professor of history and political economy at the East India Company's College at Haileybury. He shook the chair for the rest of his life. Malthus wrote various other books about the economy, and the most important of which is The Principle of Economy (1820). This book influenced many economists who came later, the special character of the 20th century the famous: John Maynard Keynes. In the last years of his life Malthus gained various awards. He closed his eyes in 1834 sixty-seven near the town of Bath, England. Two of the three children died recently, but Malthus bercucu not at all.

Because the use of contraception was not widespread until the distant days after Malthus's death, often considered one of Malthus had no significance. I think this assumption is not true. The reason for this. First, the idea of Malthus profound impact both to Charles Darwin and Karl Marx, which may be the two most important thinkers and most influential in the 19th century. Second, although the way the neo-Malthusian thinking is not simply swallow swallowed by the majority of the population, he suggested proposal is not considered the wind and just like that, after all never yawned out. Family Planning Movement of today is a direct continuation of the movement that began at the time of his life Malthus.

Thomas Malthus was not the first to have your attention the possibility of a quiet city government suddenly fall apart because most of the population. This kind of mind once also found by various philosophers. Malthus himself pointed to Plato and Aristotle had discussed the case. Indeed, he quotes Aristotle, who wrote, among others: the country average, if each resident is left free to have children at will, ultimately he will overcome poverty. "

However, if the basic idea is not entirely orisini Malthus, people should not downplay the importance. Plato and Aristotle mentions only in passing that the idea, and a touch of problems generally had been forgotten. Is Malthus who developed the idea and writing intensive subject matter. And more importantly, Malthus was the first to emphasize the horror of most of the population problem, and forward this issue to the attention of the intellectual world. Michael H. Hart,One hundred most influential figures in the history.