Was Malthus Right?

Was Malthus Right?
Thomas Robert Malthus was an English political economist and demographer during the 1700â��s. His main contribution was to draw attention to the potential dangers of population growth:
"The power of population is indefinitely greater than the power in the earth to produce subsistence for man."
I spend a lot of time, probably too much time, worrying about the worldâ��s woes. I dwell heavily on humanityâ��s destruction of the environment and over population. I see the two going hand in hand. The sheer enormity of our global population puts an enormous strain on our environment. I am not advocating involuntary population control or a culling of the masses, but responsible behavior. I will write a story on this later, but I urge all of you to look around you and ask yourself what type of world do you want to leave your children and grandchildren? Look at the state of our environment and where we as a species are going and then ask yourself was Malthus right?

Posted 8 months ago

Share |

Flag

VendettA12

Best Answer

Malthus is at one extreme, saying that our exponential population growth will inevitably lead to a tipping point where we are no longer able to come up with ways to sustain ourselves.

At the other extreme is Julian Simon, an economist who believed humans were the greatest natural resource, and that the solution to any problem man faces is to grow our population, since that would mean there would be more humans around to figure out ways to overcome our population problems.

The answer is probably somewhere in between these two viewpoints, but it's safe to say that Malthus is probably closer to the truth. Exponential growth in a world of finite resources is doomed to crash eventually, no matter how clever our human minds may get.

We have not yet made it to Malthus' tipping point, but our increasing world population seems determined to get there. Look at how the population has continued to grow over the past two centuries:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_population

Malthus may not have been totally correct (yet) but next to him Simon appears to be a madman.

Posted 8 months ago

Other 4 Answers to Was Malthus Right?

levin60kitty	Posted Feb 24th, 2009 at 9:55AM I have worked almost a lifetime for my children and grandchildren. When the world implodes or explodes, my family will be ensconced in a small enclave here in the backwoods of Alabama. We have enough to live on - we farm a little, have small shops, etc. When the world is in chaos, we will be here, learning and studying for the NEW world which will come. We will harm no one and we wish no one harm, yet we will do as we think best. Our little solar panels and our mill down at the creek will produce the power we need. We will sit here, contemplating the future of mankind as the world destroys itself. Then, perhaps, my great grandchildren can build a new society - based on our original constitution. I hope so. Rated: +1Vote for this!
COOLPENGUIN	Posted Feb 24th, 2009 at 10:14AM Just look at China. There's your answer. Rated: +1Vote for this!
kazwaz1977	Posted Feb 24th, 2009 at 12:39PM Yes, he probably was. You only have to look at China to see that. Apparently the Chinese are going to the moon this year - they're not using a shuttle; they're just gonna stand on each other's shoulders until they reach it! (with thanks to Al Murray for this joke - i may be some things, but im not a plagiarist, lol. Rated: +1Vote for this!
geenpunchbuggie	Posted Feb 24th, 2009 at 2:29PM well, i'm certain that there is something to be said about his statement. if humans continually reproduce at a geometric rate, then certainly, the population could eventually take up all the space on the planet, the oxygen in the sky and knock the earth off its axis. i've chosen not to have children partially because of this and partially because there's no reason to create another being just so s/he can be subject to my personal woes and distress, but that's another story. to be 100% honest i think that through war and hatred we (the human race) will probably kill ourselves off long before the population rages completely out of control. :( Rated: +1Vote for this!

1-4 of 4 Answers

Open Questions in Current Events

Resolved Questions in Current Events

More Resolved Questions in Current Events

Questions and Answers powered by Ask Experience Project. Get answers to questions from the world's largest collection of life experiences, and the people who have had them. A huge, friendly, and fast wiki of answered questions! This page is for providing answers to the question, Was Malthus Right?

Answers to questions like Was Malthus Right? are provided for entertainment purposes only. You should never use answers to questions provided here to replace professional advice, such as from a doctor or lawyer.

Anonymous & Free

to join millions in the world's largest community of life experiences

Explore first-person stories about any experience, including your own! Connect anonymously with people who understand.

↓ ADVERTISEMENT ↓

Welcome to Ask Experience

Got Questions? We've Got Answers!
Ask Your Questions to members
who have been there and done that!
Share Your Knowledge
Learn Something New

Go Ask Experience Now!

More Personal Stories

Be YOURSELF

Be a part of the biggest social experience on the web. Where who you are is more important than who you know. Share what matters the most and find others who just "get it."

Join now and get started in seconds, or learn more about Experience Project

↓ ADVERTISEMENT ↓

Who is "Precious" to You?