Components:
The Malthus Doctrine has two main components. First, the doctrine states that population, when left unchecked, increases exponentially due to human nature (Malthus 4). The second component says that food supply can only increase linearly. Given enough time, an exponential sequence will always surpass a linear sequence. In fact, the ratio of an exponential sequence and a linear sequence has no upper bound as ngrows. Due to these components, Malthus made the prediction that population growth would surpass the growth rate of food production resulting in a calamity unless actions were taken. Malthus recognized two types of controls that prevent human population from growing indefinitely. The first type is a positive check, which includes things such as war, mass starvation, and disease. When population greatly exceeds food supply, these checks trigger and bring population back to a sustainable level. The second type of check Malthus identified is a preventive check. Preventive checks are measures taken that reduce the birth rate causing population growth to slow (Tushar). Delaying marriage and limiting birth rates are examples of preventative measures that could be used to control population growth. Malthus deduced that if no preventive checks are in place, the world naturally becomes overpopulated, and positive checks begin to take effect.
