The error of Malthusianism

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiwJ8mgytXA

Recension by Peter Kopa, July 2022, Prague

Source: Olivier Kessler, director of the Zurich Liberal Institute. He addressed the subject in an article appearing in Neue Zuercher Z., July 2022.

As is well known, Malthusianism held the principle, that food production would lag behind population growth, the explosion of which occurred 180 years ago thanks to agricultural mechanization, medicine, hygiene and technological advancement. Only 200 years ago the world had a population of one billion, and now it has almost eight billion people. However, the surprising thing is that as the population increased, the standard of living also increased, and the hecatomb of famine predicted by Thomas Robert Malthus did not occur, but quite the opposite. This is the proof of the error of Malthusianism, which unfortunately has had a relevant acceptance among intellectuals.

According to World Bank data, thanks to the open economy, one billion people have been lifted out of poverty since 1990, especially in the Middle East and Asia. And this despite the fact that, during this period, the world population has increased by two billion.

Malthus’ mistake

It is not the first time that a claim with scientific pretensions is wrong, as in the cases of Darwin’s theory, Marx’s, Hitler’s, etc. The error of Malthusianism is due to the fact that Malthus did not take into account in his calculations the capabilities of man. Unlike all other living beings, his intelligence allows him to have a profound knowledge of the laws of things, which give rise to continuous innovation and creativity. In other words, scientific and technological evolution is advancing faster than population growth.

In addition, population density favors a greater exchange of knowledge and experience. To understand this better, the following cases are worth mentioning: the few geniuses who discovered electricity have enlightened and energized the entire world. Or the invention of the steam engine, followed by explosion engines, replaced human and animal power, which in turn increased food production.

The ecosystem does not suffer

Some say that this human progress is at the expense of our planet, which we exploit more and more ruthlessly. But this story also belongs to the realm of myths. More prosperity does not mean more pollution, quite the opposite. In rich countries in particular, there are high environmental standards, and business innovations of all kinds are encouraged in this respect. Rich societies in the western industrialized countries demand cleaner production methods, such as exhaust filters, unleaded gasoline, waste incineration plants, reforestation of forests, protection of biodiversity, organic products, etc.  El cuento del CO2

Therefore, it is not good to be influenced by false and destructive ideologies that seek to reduce the population. What is important is the basic order of freedom, as Friedrich August von Hayek emphasized in his work “The Constitution of Liberty”. Interchangeable knowledge, free market competition and basic moral rules guarantee progress without exploitation of natural resources.