The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought
Volume 20, Issue 3, Jun 2013
Pages 399-425
- DOI: 10.1080/09672567.2012.654805
- Print ISSN: 0967-2567
- Online ISSN: 1469-5936
Beyond the principle of population: Malthus's Essay
Abstract
After an introductory section, this article reviews reasons and arguments establishing the invalidity of Malthus's construct of a ‘principle of population’. Section 3 propounds that Malthus's theory is located beyond the principle of population, with the oscillation figure as its centre. Section 4 takes note of the trajectory which the Essay describes between natural and moral science, assesses inequality and growth as the two focal points of Malthus's theory and eventually observes Malthus looking forward to a state beyond the dictates of growth.