Thomas Robert Malthus

        Thomas Robert Malthus was an influential British scholar and Anglican clergyman. Malthus is famous for his theories concerning population and its response to various factors. In his most famous work, An Essay on the Principle of Population first published in 1798, Malthus argued that sooner or later the population gets checked by famine and disease and reduces in size.

        Malthus’ work is a criticism of the theory of utopianism. In Malthus’ time, it was a popular idea that society would continue to grow and develop until it was perfect. Malthus argued that through history, populations increased until their environment could no longer sustain their growth and then the population was collapse to a level where it was once again in balance with its environment. Malthus’ work was quite influential, affecting both Karl Marx and Charles Darwin, two of the 19^th centuries most important thinkers.