Malthus
Demography's gloomy prophet
Malthus refers to Thomas Robert Malthus (1766–1834), an English clergyman and economist who argued that population growth tends to outstrip food supply, leading inevitably to famine, disease, or war.
His ideas gave rise to Malthusian, describing views that see population growth as unsustainable: Malthusian fears about overpopulation.
To invoke Malthus is often to warn against unchecked growth or resource depletion.
All inhabitants combined
- overpopulationUnsustainable density of inhabitants
- growthIncrease in size
- censusOfficial population count
- fertilityCapacity for reproduction
mortality · birth rate · death rate · carrying capacity · exponential growth · population explosion · population control · family planning
Catastrophic growth of humanity
- eugenicsControlled human reproduction theory
- birth controlPreventing conception intentionally
- contraceptionPregnancy prevention measures
- sustainabilityCapacity to endure indefinitely
ecological footprint · resource depletion · carrying capacity · overconsumption · Planned Parenthood
Insufficiency of something needed
- subsistenceMinimal means of living
- wagesPayment for work
- povertySevere lack of resources
- resourcesAvailable assets or supplies
diminishing returns · classical economics · Ricardo · labor supply · living standards · dismal science · poverty trap · Smith
Extreme nutritional deprivation
- food supplyAvailable stock of nourishment
- hungerNeed for nourishment
- famineSevere food shortage
- crop failureWhen fields yield nothing
shortage · food scarcity · grain · harvest · sustenance · catastrophe · crisis · drought
Advancement through invention
- Green RevolutionMid-century farming modernization movement
- innovationCreating something original
- agricultural revolutionShift to settled farming
- productivity gainsImproved output per input
mechanization · fertilizers · abundance · refutation · adaptation · intensification · Simon · economic growth
population
All inhabitants combined
- overpopulationUnsustainable density of inhabitants
- growthIncrease in size
- censusOfficial population count
fertility · mortality · birth rate · death rate · carrying capacity · exponential growth · population explosion · population control · family planning · population density
population bomb
Catastrophic growth of humanity
- eugenicsControlled human reproduction theory
- birth controlPreventing conception intentionally
- contraceptionPregnancy prevention measures
sustainability · ecological footprint · resource depletion · carrying capacity · overconsumption · Planned Parenthood
scarcity
Insufficiency of something needed
- subsistenceMinimal means of living
- wagesPayment for work
- povertySevere lack of resources
resources · diminishing returns · classical economics · Ricardo · labor supply · living standards · dismal science · poverty trap · Smith · political economy
starvation
Extreme nutritional deprivation
- food supplyAvailable stock of nourishment
- hungerNeed for nourishment
- famineSevere food shortage
crop failure · shortage · food scarcity · grain · harvest · sustenance · catastrophe · crisis · drought · plague
technological progress
Advancement through invention
- Green RevolutionMid-century farming modernization movement
- innovationCreating something original
- agricultural revolutionShift to settled farming
productivity gains · mechanization · fertilizers · abundance · refutation · adaptation · intensification · Simon · economic growth · industrialization
MalthusCondorcet
Electoral cycle paradox discoverer
utopian · optimist · Francis Bacon · booster