ABSTRACT
This chapter shows that the lack of ethical neutrality in science affects each and every attempt at "rational" scientific discussion of the population-resources relationship. It also shows how the adoption of certain kinds of scientific methods inevitably leads to certain kinds of substantive conclusions which, in turn, can have profound political implications. It is easiest to grapple with the connections between method, ideology, and substantive conclusions by examining the works of Malthus, Ricardo, and Marx, for it is relatively easy to grasp the connections in these works. Malthus bolstered his arguments with analysis and materials blended together, particularly with respect to the theory of population, by appeal to a method of logical empiricism. Ricardo accepted Malthus' principle of population without any reservations and, it must be added, quite uncritically. The contrasts between Malthus, Ricardo, and Marx are instructive for a variety of reasons. Each makes use of a distinctive method to approach the subject material.
