IS DOOMSDAY APPROACHING? A CRITIQUE OF MALTHUS

Abstract

This paper discusses the pervasive arguments that overpopulation and dwindling resources have already doomed humanity or will soon do so. These Malthusian arguments take on many forms but are primarily concerned with increasing populations and limited resources. We evaluate these Malthusian theories both in their original conception and modern applications to examine their logic and appeal, as well as their flaws. We also examine historical evidence such as technology, the effect of the Black Death, and the existence of art to assess the strength of this argument. The thesis of this paper is that Malthusian economics is based on fundamentally flawed logic supported not by evidence but by existential anxiety. What are the specifics? They are that in the view of this famous economist, agricultural products can only increase in arithmetic progression, while the population is not so limited; it can expand geometrically. How will the gap between these two series be reconciled, given that there will be a food shortage? In Malthus’ view, the reconciliation will include war, famine, and disease, unless people can be led to have fewer children, a strategy he had little faith in. The present paper attempts to demonstrate the flaws in his analysis.