Among the most famous theories of demography is the one associated with the
English political economist Thomas Robert Malthus (1766-1834). Malthus’s
theory of population growth – outlined in his Essay on Population (1798) – was
rather pessimistic.
Why is Malthusian theory pessimistic?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
Malthus argued that human populations tend to grow at a
much faster rate than the rate at which the means of human subsistence
(specially food, but also clothing and other agriculture-based products) can
grow. Therefore humanity is condemned to live in poverty forever because the
growth of agricultural production will always be overtaken by population growth.