Malthusianism

Malthusianism is an economic theory based on the ideas of the English priest and economist Thomas Malthus (1766-1834).

The essence of Malthusianism is that population growth outstrips food production growth. According to Malthus, the population grows in geometric progression, and food production - in arithmetic progression. This leads to resource shortages, hunger and poverty.

To stop excessive population growth, Malthus proposed measures of moral restraint (late marriages, abstinence). He believed that famines, epidemics and wars were "positive" factors that reduced excess population.

The ideas of Malthusianism became widespread in the 19th century, but were criticized for being inhumane. With the development of productive forces, Malthus' ideas have lost relevance in developed countries, but remain the subject of discussion in the context of global demographic problems.

Comparison of Malthusianism and Marxism.

The Malthusian concept of procreation depends not only on the capabilities of those who bear children, but also on the extent to which it will be possible to provide these children with a life sufficient to continue their race. It is obvious that, according to this theory, the race can continue only if there are means to satisfy the physical needs of both sexes: labor and its fruits and the consumption of luxury goods. If these demands for labor or luxuries are rare, as when a country is devastated by war or disease of society, or if the people refuse these articles for reasons of principle (while the trade in luxuries must carry on its operations), then overpopulation is bound to assume an explosive character. . People will be born and die without any connection with the requirements of consumption and with the most severe consequences and suffering for everyone. It is quite obvious that any drop in the consumption of a luxury item through the cessation of its production and, ultimately, the cessation of its purchases, entails an increase in the influx of newborns, which has nothing to fight for, since the population is reduced and the possibility of earning money in order to earn money decreases. the cost of this

Malthusian approach to demographic behavior: theory and practice.

The objective of this work is to study some aspects of the concept, which today is associated with the theory of demographic behavior of famous scientists A. Smith, T. Malthus, D. M. Keynes. It concerns the effect of fertility on life expectancy. The theory under consideration is based on the hypothesis about the optimal birth rate for the population, which cannot exceed a certain critical indicator. Supporters of Malthus's theory argue that an excessive number of births leads to an economically unprofitable level of population growth, excessive consumption of cultural goods (social services, education, medicine), the unsustainable formation of the working class as an element of the country's economy, and the lack of funds for a decent life for the elderly. Consideration of the problem of the dependence of the birth rate on the standard of living is based on the fact that what