from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Malthusian \Mal*thu"sian\, a.
Of or pertaining to the political economist, the Rev. T. R.
Malthus, or conforming to his views; as, Malthusian theories.
See {Malthus}.
[1913 Webster]
Note: Malthus held that population tends to increase faster
than its means of subsistence can be made to do, and
hence that the lower classes must necessarily suffer
more or less from lack of food, unless an increase of
population be checked by prudential restraint or
otherwise. The steadily increasing capacity of world
economic systems and food production has proven this
theory to be at least premature, since economic
production has increased notably faster than population
since the time of Malthus. The general notion that
there is an ultimate limit on the ability of mankind to
continue increasing food and goods in proportion to
population is still held by many people, especially
environmentalists, some of whom who feel that the chief
limiting factor will be the inability to dispose of the
waste products of industry, leading to a steady
degradation of the environment in the absence of
population limitation. However, even those that believe
this differ widely in their estimates of when this
limit will be reached.
[1913 Webster +PJC]
from
The Devil's Dictionary (1881-1906)
MALTHUSIAN, adj. Pertaining to Malthus and his doctrines. Malthus
believed in artificially limiting population, but found that it could
not be done by talking. One of the most practical exponents of the
Malthusian idea was Herod of Judea, though all the famous soldiers
have been of the same way of thinking.