Do you agree with Malthas theory of population?

Answer 1

No there are plenty of objection on his theory.

Answer 2

I do believe that Malthus was correct, although his theory didn't take technology into account. But given that, we are still approaching the time where water and food will be in demand, and because of its short supply, will adversely affect population growth.
Just look at wild animal populations, for example of how well his theory holds up. In lean years, or years where there is a drought, the number of births decrease. In years where there is abundant supply of food and water, more young ones are born.
This cause and effect has already been proven to be correct, although with humans, it is a little more complex, and so the timing is off a bit. Still, just wait and see..........

Answer 3

"Malthus's hypothesis is the crudest, most barbarous theory that ever existed, a system of despair which struck down all those beautiful phrases about love thy neighbour and world citizenship." - Engles <1>

Well since he predicted that the food supply would be gone by now (Malthus predicted no food by the 1950's), he's kinda a joke. His theoy bombed because static analysis and his inability to compensate for technological inovations. Also, the theory bases an unrealistic rate of growth on humans as geometric and placing food growth as arithmetic. Obviously, this is a very narrow thesis that does not allow bending for real life scenerio's.

Answer 4

Which component - that population increases geometrically while food increases arithmetically, or that when a population outstrips its food supply, it will be kept in check?

While technology has changed to set back the power of famine, pestilence and war, there still exist negative population checks.

Our crops are famine-resistent, but if there were a long-enduring and large-scale drought, you'd see it return; regional famine still exists, but it's more due to transportation problems (ie, violence and instability, lack of roads, etc.) than to actual production.

War is definitely a population check - we don't see it as much in the West, but when you consider parts of Africa and the recent Southeast Asian history, well its clear the current generation is being decimated. Russia's population decline is in part due to the mass executions and in part due to the near-absence of men of certain ages.

And pestilence remains an ever-present threat. Consider the spread of HIV in Africa, alcoholism in the former Soviet states (where one in four has an alcohol-induced psychosis), and the potential for a flu pandemic.

Answer 5

Perhaps you should ask if we agree with Aristotelian physics, or Ptolemaic geography, too. It was refuted well over a century ago.

Answer 6

Absolutely!!!

Answer 7

Of course not. He didn't take increases in agricultural yields into account.