Transcript What factors limit the ability for something like food production to be

Malthusian Theory
Thomas Malthus – turn of the 19th century English
Economist turned Sociologist.
• wrote: An Essay on the Principles of Population
• He argues that the already rapidly growing
population of the 1700s would continue to grow
at an ever-faster rate.
• He based his prediction on the theory that
population grows through multiplication.
Geometric Progression
• A continued doubling factor
• i.e.: 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, etc.
• Malthus followed this method to its
logical conclusion.
• population growth will soon
reach numbers to large for society
to function.
What types of Global, Inter-Societal and Intra-Societal
problems do think Malthus thought we would face?
Malthusian Theory
of Population Change
Global:
Problems the
world will face.
Inter-Societal:
Between societies
Intra-Societal:
Within societies
Social Consequences
Food Production
Urbanization = pollution, disease, etc.
Land Erosion
Employment and wealth
Health
Poverty
“?”
Arithmetically Progression
• Concepts like food progression in singular increase.
• i.e.: 2 ,3 ,4 ,5 ,6 , and so on…
• Malthus followed this method to its logical
conclusion.
• production growth will soon be unable to meet
the needs of the growing population.
What factors limit the ability for something like food
production to be arithmetical and not geometric?
Forces to Slow Population Growth
• Reduce Births
• Preventive Checks
• Positive Checks
• birth control
• war
• delayed marriage
• disease
• delayed childbearing
• famine
Which force is most likely to occur? Why?
What factors did Malthus fail to take into
account that might prevent these social
consequences?
Advances in agriculture technology.
Development of effective birth control and its
widespread use.
Is Malthus’ theory still possible?
The last doubling of the world’s population was
3 billion to 6 billion over just 39 years.
Sociologists and demographers predict that the next
time this will occur might take as much a ten years less.