GGRC02H3 Chapter week 3: MALTHUS READING (week3)
MALTHUS READING
CHAPTER 1
- Questions whether people who be moving very fast towards “improvement”
People who want to maintain their order right now treat speculative philosophers
who draw “pictures of a happier state of society” as people who want to forward
their own schemes of ambition they look for the “happier state of society”,
advocate for the perfectibility of man, and that those that defend establishments
only do so because it gives them profit
oCondemn all political speculation
oNeither side looks for the truth
Essentially says: both sides pursue arguments w/o looking at each other’s and don’t
want to improve it
- Malthus wishes for improvements (pg 3), but thinks they will be difficult to attain
- Malthus says that people that want the “perfectibility of mankind” hold onto their
speculations w/ “undiminished confidence”
- Makes 2 postulates (pg 4)
1. Food is necessary for man’s existence
2. Need passion between the sexes
- these laws are biological and always exist w/o alteration
- says “Godwin” agrees w/ the first, but says the 2nd may diminish (but says it is
conjecture)
- Finally Malthus says “the power of population is indefinitely greater than the power in
the Earth to produce subsistence for man”
Pop. Increases in a geometrical ratio b/c food is necessary to life, there is a strong
and constantly operating check on population from the difficult of subsistence
- Says “Vice” is a highly probably consequence of more population
- Inequality in nature between population and production is to Malthus, insurmountable
to the perfectibility of society no regulations/ equality/ increase in production can
remove its pressure
CHAPTER 2
- Population when unchecked, increases in a geometric ratio, while subsistence increases
in an arithmetic ratio
- In state w/ lots of equality, virtue, w/ manners and no vice and w/ lots of subsistence,
human pop. Could increase really fast mentions USA (pop. Doubled in 25 years)
- Then mentions own island if prod Doubled in 25 years, there will be ample food for
everyone, quadruple arithmetical (pg 7)
- If assume pop. Of island is 7m @ present, produce can support the pop. double pop.
In 25 years (still sustain) double pop (and produce again) now the pop. Is 28m, but
produce can only sustain 21m
- Not enough food to support everyone, but no one wants to emigrate (pg 8)
- Then begins to discuss this population/subsistence phenomena over the range of the
entire world
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Questions whether people who be moving very fast towards improvement . Essentially says: both sides pursue arguments w/o looking at each other"s and don"t want to improve it. Malthus wishes for improvements (pg 3), but thinks they will be difficult to attain. Malthus says that people that want the perfectibility of mankind hold onto their speculations w/ undiminished confidence . Need passion between the sexes these laws are biological and always exist w/o alteration says godwin agrees w/ the first, but says the 2nd may diminish (but says it is conjecture) Finally malthus says the power of population is indefinitely greater than the power in the earth to produce subsistence for man . Increases in a geometrical ratio b/c food is necessary to life, there is a strong and constantly operating check on population from the difficult of subsistence. Says vice is a highly probably consequence of more population.
