Hmmm
Even if his theories may no longer hold water, Malthus still had some important influence - Darwin, for example. Okay, so he didn't quite anticipate the impact of the industrial revolution in supporting an expanding population, but if there is pressure on resources surely there is going to have to be some kind of check - what's the alternative?

It's similar to one of the arguments made about climate change: sure, we can move into marginal land and we can stockpile resources, just as people have done throughout history, except millennia ago there weren't big scary soldiers with machine guns stopping people from going where things might be better for them.
( crackhouseceilidhband Fuck off back to Mumsnet, Sat 19 Apr 2008, 18:22, Reply)