Neo-Malthusianism
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Neo-malthusianism is a set of doctrines derived from Thomas Malthus's theory that limited resources keep populations in check and reduce economic growth. A current proponent of Neo-Malthusianism is the Club of Rome.[citation needed]
Malthus believed population growth was geometric (2->4->8->16), and agricultural growth was arithmetic (1->2->3->4); therefore, population growth will increase at such a rate that eventually there won't be enough food for the subsistence of the population. This appears to describe rather accurately sociodemographic dynamics of complex pre-industrial societies and serves as a basis for modern mathematical models of long-term historical dynamics (see, e.g., Peter Turchin 2003; Peter Turchin et al. 2007; Korotayev et al. 2006).
One notable critic of Malthusian theory, including its neo-Malthusian version, was Vladimir I. Lenin, the leader of the Bolshevik Party and main architect of the 1917 Communist Revolution that resulted in the creation of the Soviet Union (see, e.g., Vladimir I. Lenin "The Working Class and Neo-Malthusianism", 1913.)
[edit] Bibliography
- Korotayev, A., et al. 2006. Introduction to Social Macrodynamics. Moscow: KomKniga. ISBN 5484005590
- Turchin, P., et al., eds. 2007. History & Mathematics: Historical Dynamics and Development of Complex Societies. Moscow: KomKniga. ISBN 5484010020
- Turchin, P. 2003. Historical Dynamics: Why States Rise and Fall. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
- V. I. Lenin 1913 THE WORKING CLASS AND NEOMALTHUSIANISM (1)
[edit] See also
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