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The Rev. Thomas Robert Malthus FRS (13 February 1766 – 29 December 1834〔Several sources give Malthus's date of death as 29 December 1834. See (''Meyers Konversationslexikon'' ) (Leipzig, 4th edition, 1885–1892), ("Biography" ) by Nigel Malthus (the memorial transcription reproduced in this article). But the 1911 (''Britannica'' ) gives 23 December 1834.〕) was an English cleric and scholar, influential in the fields of political economy and demography.〔Petersen, William. 1979. ''Malthus''. Heinemann, London. 2nd ed 1999.〕 Malthus himself used only his middle name Robert. His ''An Essay on the Principle of Population'' observed that sooner or later population will be checked by famine and disease, leading to what is known as a Malthusian catastrophe. He wrote in opposition to the popular view in 18th-century Europe that saw society as improving and in principle as perfectible.〔Geoffrey Gilbert, introduction to Malthus T.R. 1798. ''An Essay on the Principle of Population''. Oxford World's Classics reprint. viii in Oxford World's Classics reprint.〕 He thought that the dangers of population growth precluded progress towards a utopian society: "The power of population is indefinitely greater than the power in the earth to produce subsistence for man".〔Malthus T.R. 1798. ''An Essay on the Principle of Population''. Chapter 1, p 13 in Oxford World's Classics reprint.〕 As an Anglican cleric, Malthus saw this situation as divinely imposed to teach virtuous behaviour.〔 〕 Malthus wrote: Malthus placed the longer-term stability of the economy above short-term expediency. He criticized the Poor Laws,〔Malthus T.R. 1798. ''An Essay on the Principle of Population''. Chapter V, p 39–45. in Oxford World's Classics reprint.〕 and (alone among important contemporary economists) supported the Corn Laws, which introduced a system of taxes on British imports of wheat.〔Geoffrey Gilbert, introduction to Malthus T.R. 1798. ''An Essay on the Principle of Population''. Oxford World's Classics reprint. xx.〕 His views became influential, and controversial, across economic, political, social and scientific thought. Pioneers of evolutionary biology read him, notably Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace.〔Browne, Janet 1995. ''Charles Darwin: Voyaging''. Cape, London. pp 385–390〕〔Raby P. 2001. ''Alfred Russel Wallace: a life''. Princeton. p 21 and 131〕 He remains a much-debated writer. ==Early life and education== The seventh child of Henrietta Catherine (Graham) and Daniel Malthus,〔http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Thomas_Robert_Malthus.aspx〕 Robert Malthus grew up in ''The Rookery'', a country house in Westcott, near Dorking in Surrey. Petersen describes Daniel Malthus as "a gentleman of good family and independent means... () a friend of David Hume and Jean-Jacques Rousseau".〔Petersen, William. 1979. ''Malthus''. Heinemann, London. 2nd ed 1999. p 21〕 The young Malthus received his education at home in Bramcote, Nottinghamshire, and then at the Warrington Academy from 1782. Warrington was a dissenting academy, then at the end of its existence, and it closed in 1783, Malthus continued for a period to be tutored by Gilbert Wakefield who had taught him there. Malthus entered Jesus College, Cambridge in 1784. There he took prizes in English declamation, Latin and Greek, and graduated with honours, Ninth Wrangler in mathematics. His tutor was William Frend.〔〔Petersen, William. 1979. ''Malthus''. Heinemann, London. 2nd ed 1999. p 28〕 He took the MA degree in 1791, and was elected a Fellow of Jesus College two years later.〔 In 1789, he took orders in the Church of England, and became a curate at Oakwood Chapel (also Okewood) in the parish of Wotton, Surrey. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Thomas Robert Malthus」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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