Thomas Malthus
/ˌtɒməs ˈmælθəs/
/ˌtɑːməs ˈmælθəs/
- (1766-1834) an English economist and priest. In his Essay on the Principle of Population (1798) he suggested that human populations grow faster than the supply of food, and that unless population growth is artificially controlled, this leads to poverty and an increased death rate. His ideas were an important influence on Charles Darwin.