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The Social Contract.pdf

feast_of_malthus.pdf

🔗 Source: garretthardinsociety.org

📊 Size: 50 KB

📄 Pages: 7 pages

⬇️ Downloads: 40

Summary

Garrett Hardin, a professor emeritus of human ecology, discusses Thomas Malthus' 1798 essay on population growth and its enduring impact. Malthus' second edition included a controversial metaphor, "The Feast of Malthus," which argued that those unable to support themselves have no right to exist in a world already possessed. This sparked intense criticism, with Malthus being accused of defending harsh measures like smallpox and slavery, and denouncing humanitarian efforts. Despite Malthus' subsequent editions omitting the paragraph, the debate raged on, with critics often resorting to personal attacks and ad hominem arguments. Hardin concludes that the core issue is reconciling population control with individual rights, and that this contradiction threatens civilization's survival.

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Description

For a few decades after Malthus's essay in 1798, population was much discussed in England; then it became overshadowed by economic problems. Malthus has been repudiated every year, only to be rediscovered the next year. The reasons for this are unclear.

Technical Information

File Format: PDF
File Size: 50 KB
Pages: 7
Language: EN
Total Downloads: 40
Last Updated: 1 week ago

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