"The power of population is so superior to the power of the earth to produce subsistence for man, that premature death must in some shape or other visit the human race. The vices of mankind are active and able ministers of depopulation. They are the precursors in the great army of destruction, and often finish the dreadful work themselves. But should they fail in this war of extermination, sickly seasons, epidemics, pestilence, and plague advance in terrific array, and sweep off their thousands and tens of thousands? Should success be still incomplete, gigantic inevitable famine stalks in the rear, and with one mighty blow levels the population with the food of the world?”. These are the words of ______________.

Thomas Malthus

The correct answer is Option 2: Thomas Malthus

The passage expresses the central argument of Thomas Robert Malthus's theory of population. Malthus argued that population grows faster than the food supply and that, when population exceeds available resources, nature restores balance through famine, disease, epidemics, and other forms of suffering. The language in the extract closely reflects Malthus's discussion of the consequences of unchecked population growth in An Essay on the Principle of Population.