Editing Thomas Robert Malthus (section)

== Population growth ==
{{more citations needed|section|date=February 2021}}
{{further|Malthusian catastrophe}}
[[File:Malthus - Essay on the principle of population, 1826 - 5884843.tif|thumb|''Essay on the principle of population'', 1826]]
Malthus came to prominence for his 1798 publication, ''An Essay on the Principle of Population''. He wrote the original text in reaction to the optimism of his father and his father's associates (notably [[Jean-Jacques Rousseau]]) regarding the future improvement of society. He also constructed his case as a specific response to writings of [[William Godwin]] (1756–1836) and of the Marquis de Condorcet (1743–1794). His assertions evoked questions and criticism, and between 1798 and 1826 he published six more versions of ''An Essay on the Principle of Population'', updating each edition to incorporate new material, to address criticism, and to convey changes in his own perspectives on the subject.

The '''Malthusian controversy''' to which the ''Essay'' gave rise in the decades following its publication tended to focus attention on the birth rate and marriage rates. The '''neo-Malthusian controversy''', comprising related debates of many years later, has seen a similar central role assigned to the numbers of children born.<ref>{{cite book|first=G. Talbot|last=Griffith|title=Population Problems of the Age of Malthus|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NkUoqtdA4oAC&pg=PA97|date=2010|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|location=Cambridge, England|isbn=978-0-691-10240-5|page=97}}</ref>
The goal of Malthusian theory is to explain how population and food production expand, with the latter experiencing arithmetic growth and the former experiencing exponential growth.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Walter |first1=R |title=Malthus Across Nations |date=2020 |publisher=Edward Elgar Publishing. |chapter=Malthus's principle of population in Britain: restatement and antiquation}}</ref>  The controversy, however, concerns the relevance of Malthusian theory in the present world. This hypothesis is inapplicable in a number of ways. First, the hypothesis is rendered irrelevant,<ref>{{cite thesis |last=Brooks |first=Jonathan |title=Settler Colonialism, Primitive Accumulation, and Biopolitics in Xinjiang, China |type= MSc |publisher= London School of Economics |doi= 10.2139/ssrn.3965577 |date=18 Nov 2021}}</ref> due to a disregard for technological advancement. This is because food production has increased as a result of technological advancements such as genetically modified organisms (GMOs).<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Mokyr |first1=J |title=The past and the future of innovation: Some lessons from economic history |journal=Explorations in Economic History |date=2018 |volume=69 |issue=69 |pages=13–26|doi=10.1016/j.eeh.2018.03.003 |s2cid=158447130 }}</ref> Second, the mathematical model employed to formulate the hypothesis is incorrect since it was constrained to England's specific situation.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=K |title=The Malthusian Controversy |date=2013 |publisher=Routledge}}</ref> Other findings, such as food production exceeding population increase, may be borne out if the modeling could employ wide locations like Australia.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Robertson |first1=T |title=The Malthusian moment |date=2012 |publisher=Rutgers University Press.}}</ref> The Malthusian hypothesis is also limited by social change about family size,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Malthus |first1=T.R. |editor1-last=Winch |editor1-first=Donald |editor2-last=James |editor2-first=Patricia |title=An Essay on the Principle of Population |date=1992 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location= Cambridge |isbn= 978-0-5214-2972-6}}</ref> as individuals tend to prefer a manageable family owing to economic restrictions. 
Food production can also outpace population expansion, due to the industrial revolution.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kallis |first1=G |title=Limits: Why Malthus was wrong and why environmentalists should care |date=2019 |publisher=Stanford University Press}}</ref> Another limitation of this theory is the belief that overall income is a key factor of population health,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cremaschi |first1=S |title=Utilitarianism and Malthus's Virtue Ethics: Respectable, virtuous and happy |date=2014 |publisher=Routledge}}</ref> implying that wealthy countries will have various solutions for their rapidly rising populations.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Chiarini |first1=B |editor1-last=Malanima |editor1-first=P |editor2-last=Piga |editor2-first=G |title=From Malthus' stagnation to sustained growth: social, demographic and economic factors |date=2012 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan}}</ref> An expanding population can be considered as an increase of available human capacity for increasing food production.<ref>{{cite news |title=Malthus, the false prophet |url=https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2008/05/15/malthus-the-false-prophet |access-date=30 January 2023 |newspaper=The Economist |date=2008}}</ref> The static aspect of the Malthusian hypothesis, which is based on the rule of decreasing returns,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Patel |first1=R |title='The End of Plenty,' by Joel K. Bourne Jr |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/26/books/review/the-end-of-plenty-by-joel-k-bourne-jr.html |access-date=30 January 2023 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=2015}}</ref> limits its applicability. Finally, Malthusian Theory's failure to determine whether birth rates match death rates hampered its application,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Shermer |first1=M |title=Why Malthus Is Still Wrong |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-malthus-is-still-wrong/ |access-date=30 January 2023 |work=Scientific American |date=2016}}</ref> because it was possible that the population was not rising as fast as food production due to the presence of deaths.