Chris’s Reviews > An Essay on the Principle of Population > Status Update

It may be safely asserted , therefore, that population, when unchecked, increases in a geometrical progression of such a nature as to double itself every twenty-five years. This is a statement, of course, refers to the general results, and not to each intermediate step of the progress. Practically, it would sometimes be slower, and sometimes faster.

"Evil exists in the world not to create despair but activity"

"... savages will inhabit countries of the greatest natural fertility for a long period before they betake themselves to pasturage or agriculture. Had population and food increased in the same ratio, man might have never emerged from the savage state."

"A capital employed upon land may be unproductive to the individual that employs it and yet be highly productive to the society. A capital employed in trade, on the contrary, may be highly productive to the individual, and yet be almost unproductive to the society"

"It is evident, however, that two nations might increase exactly with the same rapidity in the exchangeable value of annual produce of their land and labour, yet if one had applied itself chiefly to agriculture, and the other chiefly to commerce,... the effect of the increase of wealth in each nation, would be extremely different."

"Models too perfect may sometimes rather impede than promote improvement"

Chapter VIII: (Condorcet vs Malthus) It appears that the idea for pension funds originated from a suggestion by Marquis Condorcet. " ... a fund should be established which should assure to the old an assistance, produced, in part by their former savings, and, in part by the savings of individuals who in making the same sacrifice die before they reap the benefit of it"

Chapter VII: "Other factors being the same, it may be affirmed that countries are populous according to the quantity of human food they produce, and happy according to the liberty with which that food is divided. Corn countries are more populous than pasture countries and rice countries are more populous than corn countries"