An Essay on the Principle of Population

Malthus, T. R.

ISBN 10: 0486456080 / ISBN 13: 9780486456089

Published by Dover Publications, 2007

About this Item

Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!

Seller Inventory # S_434909301

Bibliographic Details

• Title: An Essay on the Principle of Population
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Publication Date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0486456080
• ISBN 13: 9780486456089
• Binding: paperback
• Condition: Very Good

About this title

Synopsis

The first major study of population size and its tremendous importance to the character and quality of society, this polemic examines the tendency of human numbers to outstrip their resources. Pivotal in establishing the field of demography, it remains crucial to understanding modern problems with food production and distribution.
Anglican parson Thomas Robert Malthus wrote his famous essay in 1798 in response to speculations on social perfectibility aroused by the French Revolution. Because human powers of procreation so greatly exceed the production of food, Malthus explained, population will always exceed available resources, and many will inevitably live at the ragged edge of subsistence. His simple yet powerful argument — demonstrating that scarcity and inequality arise even in a society purged of all unjust laws and institutions — was highly controversial in its day. Many of Malthus' contemporaries despised him for dashing their hopes of social progress, and the grim logic of his "population principle" led Thomas Carlyle to dub economics "the dismal science."
Today, Malthus' name is practically synonymous with active concern about demographic and ecological prospects, and his classic remains ever relevant to issues of social policy, theology, evolution, and the environment.

About the Author

The Reverend Thomas Robert Malthus FRS was an English cleric and scholar, influential in the fields of political economy and demography. Malthus himself used only his middle name Robert. (Wikipedia)