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The first business of philosophy is to account for things as they are and till our theories will do this, they ought not to be the ground of any practical conclusion.

Thomas Malthus

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Thomas Malthus
Age: 68 †
Born: 1766
Born: February 14
Died: 1834
Died: December 23
Anglican Priest
Demographer
Economist
Essayist
Mathematician
Scientist
Sociologist
Statistician
Warwickshire
England
Thomas R. Malthus
Theory
Theories
Ought
Practicals
Philosophy
Account
Business
Practical
Firsts
Conclusion
First
Till
Things
Accounts
Ground

More quotes by Thomas Malthus

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The science of political economy is essentially practical, and applicable to the common business of human life. There are few branches of human knowledge where false views may do more harm, or just views more good.
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The immediate cause of the increase of population is the excess of the births above deaths and the rate of increase, or the period of doubling, depends upon the proportion which the excess of the births above the deaths bears to the population.
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It is a mere futile process to exchange one set of commodities for another, if the parties after this new distribution of goods has taken place, are not better off than they were before.
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I do not know that any writer has supposed that on this earth man will ultimately be able to live without food.
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The passion between the sexes has appeared in every age to be so nearly the same, that it may always be considered, in algebraic language as a given quantity.
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The transfer of three shillings and sixpence a day to every labourer would not increase the quantity of meat in the country. There is not at present enough for all to have a decent share. What would then be the consequence?
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It is an acknowledged truth in philosophy that a just theory will always be confirmed by experiment.
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I feel no doubt whatever that the parish laws of England have contributed to raise the price of provisions and to lower the real price of labour.
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To prevent the recurrence of misery is, alas! beyond the power of man.
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Population trends have always provoked doom-fraught oracles, because their popular interpreters suppose that every new series will be infinitely sustained yet, beyond the short term, expectations based on them are never fulfilled.
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The perpetual struggle for room and food.
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The constant effort towards population, which is found even in the most vicious societies, increases the number of people before the means of subsistence are increased.
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The main peculiarity which distinguishes man from other animals is the means of his support - the power which he possesses of very greatly increasing these means.
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Had population and food increased in the same ratio, it is probable that man might never have emerged from the savage state.
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It may at first appear strange, but I believe it is true, that I cannot by means of money raise a poor man and enable him to live much better than he did before, without proportionably depressing others in the same class.
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A great emigration necessarily implies unhappiness of some kind or other in the country that is deserted.
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No limits whatever are placed to the productions of the earth they may increase forever.
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Population, when unchecked, goes on doubling itself every 25 years or increases in a geometrical ratio.
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Instead of recommending cleanliness to the poor, we should encourage contrary habits. In our towns we should make the streets narrower, crowd more people into the houses, and court the return of the plague.
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A feather will weigh down a scale when there is nothing in the opposite one.
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