Thomas Malthus believed that population growth would surpass available resources because population tends to grow exponentially (in geometric progression), while resources, particularly food production, increase only linearly (in arithmetic progression). This means population grows faster than the means to sustain it. He argued that this imbalance would ultimately lead to shortages in food supply, resulting in famine, disease, and other calamities that would check population growth. Malthus saw this as a natural limit where population pressures would outrun resource growth, causing recurring cycles of abundance and scarcity.
Explanation of Malthusian Theory
- Population increases geometrically (e.g., 2, 4, 8, 16...), doubling or multiplying rapidly each generation.
- Food production grows arithmetically (e.g., 2, 4, 6, 8...), increasing by constant amounts over time.
- Because the population grows faster than food supply, resources become insufficient to support everyone.
- This mismatch causes famines, wars, diseases, and poverty, which act as natural checks that reduce the population to sustainable levels.
- Malthus referred to these as "positive checks" (increasing death rates) and "preventative checks" (decreasing birth rates).
This fundamental idea warned of a future where unchecked population growth would lead to severe hardship due to resource limits.
Thus, Malthus's belief that population growth would surpass available resources rested on the different rates of increase—exponential for population versus linear for resources—resulting in inevitable crises when population outstrips the food supply.
