author
T. R. (Thomas Robert) Malthus
1766–1834
Best known for arguing that population growth can outpace the food supply, this English economist and cleric became one of the most debated thinkers in political economy. His ideas on population, scarcity, and social limits shaped discussions far beyond his own time.
6 Audiobooks
Definitions in Political Economy, Preceded by an Inquiry Into the Rules which Ought to Guide Political Economists in the Definition and Use of Their Terms; with Remarks on the Deviation from These Rules in Their Writings
by T. R. (Thomas Robert) Malthus
The Measure of Value Stated and Illustrated With an Application of it to the Alterations in the Value of the English Currency since 1790
by T. R. (Thomas Robert) Malthus
An Essay on the Principle of Population
by T. R. (Thomas Robert) Malthus
Observations on the Effects of the Corn Laws, and of a Rise or Fall in the Price of Corn on the Agriculture and General Wealth of the Country
by T. R. (Thomas Robert) Malthus
The Grounds of an Opinion on the Policy of Restricting the Importation of Foreign Corn Intended as an appendix to "Observations on the corn laws"
by T. R. (Thomas Robert) Malthus
An Inquiry into the Nature and Progress of Rent, and the Principles by Which It is Regulated
by T. R. (Thomas Robert) Malthus
About the author
Born in Surrey in February 1766, Thomas Robert Malthus was an English economist, demographer, and Anglican cleric. He studied at Jesus College, Cambridge, later became a fellow there, and went on to build a reputation as a serious thinker about society, economics, and population.
He is most famous for An Essay on the Principle of Population, first published in 1798. In that work, he argued that population tends to grow faster than the food supply, a claim that made his name and sparked lasting debate. His writing had a major influence on political economy and demography, and later thinkers continued to argue with, adapt, or push back against his ideas.
Malthus died near Bath in December 1834, but the term "Malthusian" shows how strongly his work endured. Whether readers see him as a clear-eyed analyst of limits or an overly pessimistic voice, he remains one of the key figures in the history of economic and social thought.