Malthus and Marxist Genomics

[toadghost]

The model of history described in stages of production has been a boon to academic sciences, but instructors tend to teach sentiments as facts. For example, the limitations Malthus proposed for populations based on scarcity and disease are taught as facts in biology and sociology classes, as well as in the study of human evolutionary development. How does the Marxist reader combat the popularly accepted ideas that we are living in a time of struggle for resources when most people accept such claims as if they were physical and scientfic LAWS instead of ideologies? I'm looking for a concise and accurate description of the take of Marx, Engels, and Malthus as well as a description as to why Malthus is wrong, strategies to persuade others, and also suggestions for further reading in order to develop a full depth of understanding on the topic.

[Luís Henrique]

For example, the limitations Malthus proposed for populations based on scarcity and disease are taught as facts in biology and sociology classes, as well as in the study of human evolutionary development.

Are they?

Frankly, I have never had Malthus taught to me as fact, either in biology or history classes. The closer to that I have seen is something like, "it used to be like that, but this was before the invention of contraceptives" (or, "before the Green Revolution").


I'm looking for a concise and accurate description of the take of Marx, Engels, and Malthus as well as a description as to why Malthus is wrong, strategies to persuade others, and also suggestions for further reading in order to develop a full depth of understanding on the topic.

Malthus is wrong because the growth of human populations is not regulated only by famine and war. Humans are able to make conscious plans for their reproduction, and often chose to limit it to zero growth (you can see how many couples plan to have two children, and stick to that plan). Evidently the invention of contraceptives made this more commonplace. Public and universal healthcare and retirement systems also push in such direction.

A good read on Malthus - and many other economists - can be found in E. K. Hunt's History of Economic Thought: A Critical Perspective (http://www.revleft.com/vb/History%20of%20Economic%20Thought:%20A%20Critical% 20Perspective).

Luís Henrique

[Revolution starts with U]

It's not that Matlthus is wrong. The same pressures still apply, no matter how much we have overcome them. Even with our increased productivity and life expectancy, there is still only a certain amount of population that can be supported, before hunger and famine start equalizing it.

[MarxSchmarx]

By the way, I don't think this has much of anything to do with genomics.