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Malthus on Population

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  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science

Synonyms

An Essay on the Principle of Population ; Exponential growth; Malthusian growth

Definition

An Essay on the Principle of Population by Thomas Robert Malthus (1798) is a book widely viewed as having profound impact on the biological and social sciences by recognizing basic biophysical, demographic, and economic principles that can lead to population growth and possible collapse.

Introduction

Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground. – Genesis 1:28

The power of population is indefinitely greater than the power in the earth to produce subsistence. – Malthus 1798

An Essay on the Principle of Populationby the Reverend, Political Economist, and Demographer, Thomas Robert Malthus (1766–1834), is perhaps the most important document ever published on population, yet its central thesis continues to be highly controversial between natural and social scientists today....

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Duke University Population Research Institute, Durham, NC, USA

    Joseph R. Burger

  2. Institute of the Environment, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Joseph R. Burger

Authors
  1. Joseph R. Burger
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Joseph R. Burger .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

  2. Rochester, MI, USA

    Viviana A. Weekes-Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Farid Pazhoohi

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Burger, J.R. (2020). Malthus on Population. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1267-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1267-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

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