Final Answer:
Thomas Malthus was an English economist and demographer who, in his work "An Essay on the Principle of Population," proposed the Malthusian theory. He argued that the population tends to grow exponentially, surpassing the growth of the means of subsistence, leading to inevitable checks such as famine, disease, or war.
Step-by-step explanation:
Thomas Malthus, in his seminal work "An Essay on the Principle of Population" published in 1798, presented a theory that has since become known as the Malthusian theory. The core of his argument lies in the relationship between population growth and the availability of resources. Malthus asserted that while the population tends to grow exponentially, the production of food and resources only increases arithmetically. This fundamental disjunction leads to a point where the population surpasses the capacity of resources to sustain it.
Malthus supported his theory with a mathematical framework. He argued that if the population were allowed to grow unchecked, it would double every 25 years (assuming a standard rate of growth). On the other hand, the production of food and resources would only increase linearly, creating a scenario where population growth outstrips the ability to provide sustenance. This imbalance, according to Malthus, would trigger natural checks on population growth, such as famine, disease, or conflict.
In essence, Malthus's perspective was rooted in a pessimistic view of the long-term sustainability of human population growth. While his predictions of widespread famine haven't materialized to the extent he envisioned, the Malthusian theory has sparked ongoing debates about the relationship between population and resources, contributing to the field of demography and influencing discussions on global population trends.