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Malthus, Thomas Robert
(186 words)

[German Version]

(Feb 13, 1766, Rookery, near Guildford – Dec 23, 1834, Bath, England). After studies at Cambridge, Malthus spent several years as a parish priest. In 1805 he was appointed professor of political economy at a college of the East India Company, where he taught until his death. He became famous through his “law of population,” according to which population tends to grow faster than the means of subsistence. The resulting threat of overpopulation would either be met by famine, war, etc., or avoided by sexual abstinence. These alter…

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Sautter, Hermann, “Malthus, Thomas Robert”, in: Religion Past and Present. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1877-5888_rpp_SIM_13478>
First published online: 2011
First print edition: ISBN: 9789004146662, 2006-2013



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