ABSTRACT
Thomas Robert Malthus was a British political economist, philosopher, and demographer. He is best known for developing the principle that population growth and social progress are naturally in conflict. An Essay on the Principle of Population, in which Malthus examines this idea, has been widely influential and still impacts today's political and economic discourse. At the age of 32, Malthus published the first edition of the Essay. The Essay was a response to a pamphlet published by radical British philosopher William Godwin, entitled An Enquiry Concerning Political Justice. The strength of Malthus's argument in the Essay gave him a wide and influential audience. Charles Darwin, the famous British naturalist, cited the Essay as a key inspiration for his theory of evolution. The main idea in Malthus's Essay is that, over time, population growth will always outstrip the availability of food. Malthus's Essay is also important for understanding the potential implications for human society of climate change.
