The nineteenth-century British economist Thomas Malthus argued that the law of diminishing returns implied that

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Malthus believed that as population grew, resources would become increasingly scarce and eventually lead to misery and even population collapse. This idea became known as the "Malthusian trap" or the "Malthusian catastrophe." Diminishing returns refer to the idea that as more and more resources are added to a fixed amount of land or labor, the additional output gained from each additional unit of resources will eventually decrease, ultimately leading to lower productivity and economic decline.

The Nineteenth-Century British Economist Thomas Malthus Argued That the Law