Malthus vs Boserup
Can the planet feed a growing population? Two thinkers gave opposite answers: Malthus feared catastrophe, Boserup trusted invention. Weigh the pessimist against the optimist.
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Can we feed everyone?
As the world's population grows, will there be enough food, or will people go hungry? Two thinkers gave opposite answers. Malthus feared a catastrophe. Boserup trusted human invention. This module weighs the pessimist against the optimist.
The language of population
Four ideas run through this module:
Pessimist versus optimist
Both asked what happens as population grows, and reached opposite conclusions.
The gloomy one
Which thinker took the pessimistic view that population would outgrow the food supply?
- Malthus
- Boserup
- Both of them equally
- Neither of them
Match each idea to what it is
- Malthus
- Boserup
- Geometric growth
- Arithmetic growth
- Population will outgrow the food supply
- People invent ways to grow more food
- Doubling: 1, 2, 4, 8
- Adding one: 1, 2, 3, 4
The positive checks
Select the TWO examples of Malthus's POSITIVE checks, which raise the death rate.
- Famine
- Disease
- Marrying later in life
- New farming technology
Necessity, the mother of invention
Boserup's core idea: when a growing population presses on resources, people do not simply starve. They innovate. New farming methods, irrigation, higher-yield crops and machinery all raise food output, so supply rises to meet the extra demand.
Malthus's chain of reasoning
Put the steps of Malthus's argument into order.
- Population grows geometrically, doubling
- Food supply grows only arithmetically
- Population outstrips the available food
- Checks raise deaths or lower births
- Population is forced back down
Malthusian terms
- Positive check
- Preventive check
- Malthusian catastrophe
- The Green Revolution
- Famine, disease or war raising deaths
- Later marriage or fewer children
- The crisis point when food runs out
- Higher-yield crops supporting Boserup
The theories in words
_____ was a pessimist: he thought population grows _____ while food grows only arithmetically, leading to disaster. _____ was an optimist: he believed people would _____ to grow more food. When population outgrows resources, Malthus said it is cut back by _____ such as famine and disease.
Malthus against Boserup
Tap the TWO statements that are TRUE.
- Malthus believed population would outgrow the food supply.
- Boserup believed people would invent ways to produce more food.
- Malthus was an optimist about population growth.
- A positive check lowers the birth rate.
- Boserup thought population growth always causes famine.
The optimist's answer
Boserup argued that as population grows, people will do what?
- Invent new ways to produce more food
- Always starve as food runs out
- Stop having children entirely
- Leave Earth for other planets
Whose theory fits?
Decide which theory or idea each situation supports.
- A region's population is booming, so farmers adopt new machines and high-yield seeds to grow more food. Whose theory does this support?
- A famine strikes when a growing population runs short of food, and many people die. Whose theory does this fit?
- A government encourages families to have fewer children to ease pressure on resources. What kind of check is this?
Compare the two
Compare the views of Malthus and Boserup on population and resources. Explain what each thought would happen as population grows, and give one reason someone might agree with each.
- Explain Malthus's view of population and food
- Explain Boserup's view of population and food
- Give one reason to agree with Malthus
- Give one reason to agree with Boserup