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As it appears, however, in almost every page of Mr Sadler's book, we will say a few words respecting it. Mr Sadler describes Mr Malthus's principle in the following words:
We must conclude, then, that Malthus's theory, either as an explanation of the growth of modern populations or as an implied practical ethical doctrine, is of no value whatever. This is not saying, of course, that Malthus's theory may not have some elements of truth in it.
Sam and I are at present engaged in some calculations on population, which have brought us to a very curious, beautiful, and important conclusion hitherto overlooked by all writers on the subject whom I have consulted, and which threatens to invalidate a considerable part of Malthus's theory.
He endorses Malthus's statement about the absurdity of considering 'wages' as something which may be fixed by his Majesty's 'Justices of the Peace, and infers with Malthus that wages should be left to find their 'natural level. But what precisely is this 'natural level? If the Justice of the Peace cannot fix the rate of wages, what does fix them? Supply and demand?
His answer is, in brief, that law, order, and inequality have been absolutely necessary in order to limit tendencies which would otherwise keep men in a state of hopeless poverty and depression. This gives the 'differentia' of the Utilitarian considered as one species of the genus 'Radical. Malthus's criticism of Paine is significant.
The personal rancour of which Hazlitt was unfortunately capable leads to monstrous imputations. Not only does Malthus's essay show the 'little low rankling malice of a parish beadle ... disguised in the garb of philosophy, and bury 'false logic' under 'a heap of garbled calculations, and so forth; but he founds insinuations upon Malthus's argument as to the constancy of the sexual passion.
The omission injures the literary effect without altering the logic; and I think that, where the argument is amended, the new element is scarcely worked into the old so as to gain thorough consistency. Malthus's survey of different countries showed how various are the 'checks' by which population is limited in various countries. We take a glance at all nations through all epochs of history.
Their mode of thinking was not characterized by Benthamism in any sense which has relation to Bentham as a chief or guide, but rather by a combination of Bentham's point of view with that of the modern political economy, and with the Hartleian metaphysics. Malthus's population principle was quite as much a banner, and point of union among us, as any opinion specially belonging to Bentham.
He took abuse imperturbably; was never vexed 'after the first fortnight' by the most unfair attack; and went on developing his theories, lecturing his students, and improving later editions of his treatise. Malthus died on 23rd December 1834. The doctrine marks a critical point in political economy. Malthus's opponents, as Mr.
The great cities were the graves of mankind. This opinion was strongly held, too, by Arthur Young, who ridiculed the general fear of depopulation, and declared that if money were provided, you could always get labour, but who looked upon the towns as destructive cancers in the body politic. The prevalence of this view explains Malthus's position.
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