Thomas Malthus is an 18th-century British scientist, economist, author of numerous works on economics and political economy, and also the holder of the holy dignity. He created his own famous theory of the overpopulation of the planet, its causes and consequences. The theory of Thomas Malthus was approved by Charles Darwin himself. Many scientific achievements, the scientist owes his mind and zeal.
Thomas Malthus childhood
Thomas Robert Malthus was born on February 13 (according to other sources February 14), 1766 in Rookery, a country house in Surrey, United Kingdom.
Thomas was the sixth of seven children (in addition to him, Sydenham, Henrietta Sarah, Eliza Maria, Ann Catherine Lucy, Mary Catherine Charlotte grew up in the family). Thomas's youngest sister, Mary Ann Catherine, was born in 1771. Subsequently, he will become the mother of Louise Bray, who will write unpublished memoirs about the life of Thomas Malthus.
The mother of a large family, Henrietta, was attached to her sons and daughters. She was condescending and loved by her children.
Father Daniel, according to the memoirs of Louise Bray, was a peculiar person with eccentric views. In his memoirs, Bray wrote: “He had a sufficiently developed mind and amazing manners. However, he was also cold and closed in the circle of his family. He paid special attention to his eldest daughter and youngest son, in whom, perhaps, he saw talented abilities.”
Daniel was familiar and corresponded with Jean-Jacques Rousseau. When Thomas was three weeks old, Daniel personally met with the Geneva philosopher. This happened after Rousseau and David Hume had to hide in Britain at the end of the 18th century due to the political situation in France.
Thomas Malthus Education
As a child, Thomas received home education, which was attended by his own father. Subsequently, when the boy was 10 years old, he was transferred to the training of a teacher, Richard Graves, who had lost the trust of his family due to marriage to a lower class girl.
After becoming older, Thomas was admitted to the Warrington Academy in Lancashire.
However, in 1783, the school was closed, and Thomas had to transfer to Cambridge College of Jesus. There, Malthus studied the clergy, as well as mathematics and philosophy. Thomas was quite serious about his studies, showing a high interest in subjects. Also, the young man was distinguished by a sharp mind and tried to look good. Sometimes Toms stood out among his peers, dusting his wig with pink powder, not white.
From birth, Thomas had a small defect - a cleft lip, and as a result - problems with speech. According to college teachers, this reduced Malthus' chances to advance in a clergy career. However, Thomas ignored the words of the leadership and, thanks to his academic success, was able to gain the holy order and taught for some time in Okuvud.
Malthus returned to Jesus College in 1793 as a scholarship holder. From a biographical source, little is known about the life of Thomas Malthus between 1788 and 1798. This time was full of political unrest and unrest. In 1793, Louis XVI was guillotined, and France declared war on England.
An Essay on the Law of Population by Thomas Malthus
His early works were devoted to the political and economic issues of his time. In the 18th century there was a utopia that society is constantly growing and improving. In contrast, Thomas Malthus put forward his own hypothesis about the dangers of excessive population growth, which is why the scientist was not understood and considered a pessimist.
Perhaps the main work of Thomas Malthus was devoted to the issue of population. He traveled around the country and collected statistics on the number of births and deaths, the age at marriage and conception of children, as well as economic factors that contribute to longevity.
Thomas Malthus has established a link between the benefits available and population growth. In his opinion, the world's population is increasing in accordance with the geometric, and economic benefits and means of subsistence - with arithmetic progression.
However, it is possible to influence the population. Malthus believed that such factors could be late marriages, emigration, moral abstinence, as well as wars, epidemics, illnesses, hunger, etc.
Famous scientists Charles Darwin and Alfred Russell Wallace praised the work of Thomas Malthus. They recognized the great merit of Malthus in the formation of their own ideas about the theory of evolution, in particular, natural selection.
But not everyone accepted Thomas Malthus' essay positively. Many condemned him in cruelty, calling him a prophet of the death of mankind and an enemy of the working class.
The theory of Thomas Malthus is widely discussed today. According to the generally accepted opinion, the scientist's hypothesis is interesting, but not without drawbacks.
Personal life and subsequent career
In April 1804, Malthus, at the age of 38, married his cousin Garriet Eckersell. The spouses had three children.
Thomas Malthus took up a leadership position in the Department of Contemporary History and Political Economy at West Indies College.
He continued to publish his own works, for example, The Principles of Political Economy, and Policies for the Restriction of Import of Grains.
Malthus was admitted to the Royal Society in 1818, and also became a member of the French Academy and the London Statistical Society.
