Final answer:
Thomas Malthus is known as an early proponent of population-level thinking, discussing exponential growth and its consequences in his 1798 work, 'An Essay on the Principle of Population'.
Step-by-step explanation:
The author noted for being an early proponent of population-level thinking, as opposed to individual-level thinking, is Thomas Malthus. Malthus wrote 'An Essay on the Principle of Population' in 1798, where he discussed the issues arising from population growth outpacing the availability of resources which he termed exponential growth. His views influenced many during the Industrial Revolution and later, Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection. He predicted that without preventative checks such as family planning, populations would be controlled by 'positive checks' like war, famine, and disease, which he saw as natural consequences of overpopulation.