Question
Read the passage given below and answer the following questions:
Population growth always outstrips growth in production of subsistence resources; hence the only way to increase prosperity is by controlling the growth of population. Unfortunately, humanity has only a limited ability to voluntarily reduce the growth of its population (through ‘preventive checks’ such as postponing marriage or practicing sexual abstinence or celibacy). Malthus believed therefore that ‘positive checks’ to population growth- in the form of famines and diseases- were inevitable because they were nature’s way of dealing with the imbalance between food supply and increasing population. Malthus was also criticized by liberal and Marxist scholars for asserting that poverty was caused by population growth. Critics argued that problems like poverty and starvation were caused by the unequal distribution of economic resources rather than by population growth.
Population growth always outstrips growth in production of subsistence resources; hence the only way to increase prosperity is by controlling the growth of population. Unfortunately, humanity has only a limited ability to voluntarily reduce the growth of its population (through ‘preventive checks’ such as postponing marriage or practicing sexual abstinence or celibacy). Malthus believed therefore that ‘positive checks’ to population growth- in the form of famines and diseases- were inevitable because they were nature’s way of dealing with the imbalance between food supply and increasing population. Malthus was also criticized by liberal and Marxist scholars for asserting that poverty was caused by population growth. Critics argued that problems like poverty and starvation were caused by the unequal distribution of economic resources rather than by population growth.
- What were the preventive and positive checks suggested by Malthus for controlling growth of population?
- Malthus was criticized by the liberal and Marxist scholars. Explain.