Malthus’s bruised reputation now is not only a result of the fact that the collapse he insisted was imminent didn’t occur. Neither is it because his warnings were enthusiastically embraced by fascists to justify their enthusiasm for genocide and eugenics. It is also because when viewed through a contemporary lens his argument does a remarkable job of upsetting people across the political spectrum. Malthus’s insistence that there are clear limits to growth upsets those who support unbridled free markets and perpetual growth, and chimes favorably with those who are concerned about
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