The Malthusian theory was proposed by Reverend Thomas Malthus in the 18th century. This theory highlights the problems caused by unchecked population growth.
Malthus theorized that as the population of the world grows exponentially, our ability to produce food only grows linearly. This means that over time, we would eventually reach a point where there are too many people and not enough food to feed everyone.
Malthus argued that the disproportionality between population growth and food production would result in a series of unfortunate events. His initial prediction was that inevitable famines, disease and other natural disasters would help control human population. As a solution, Malthus proposed that we should control population growth through "preventive checks," such as delayed marriage and celibacy.
Despite the fact that many modern scholars criticize Malthus' theory as being overly pessimistic and argue that technological innovations improved food production at rates faster than he anticipated, his theory continues to be an important topic in discussions about population growth and sustainability.
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