In his 1798 book, An Essay on the Principle of Population, Thomas Malthus stated: "the power of [Earth's human] population [to increase] is indefinitely greater than the power in the earth to produce subsistence for man." He explained that our population increases exponentially while we can increase our food supply only linearly. In modern terminology, what did Malthus mean by "the power in the earth to produce subsistence for man"?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

"The power in the earth to produce subsistence for man" refers to the carrying capacity of Earth, which is the maximum number of individuals of a species that can be sustained by an ecosystem without causing depletion of resources or damage to the environment. Malthus was suggesting that our population growth would eventually surpass Earth's carrying capacity, leading to famine, disease, and other forms of population control.

In His 1798 Book, an Essay on the Principle of Population