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Work #719 · Late

An Essay on the Principle of Population

Thomas Robert Malthus
1798 (1st edn); 1803 (rev. 2nd edn) · English
Political economy / demography · British classical political economy

Malthus's 1798 foundational demographic-political economy — population grows geometrically, food arithmetically

Attribute Fingerprint

Rows where works disagree are highlighted in gold. The full ontology grid is shown.

Attribute An Essay on the Principle of Population (Late)
Time · Extent Infinite
Time · Ontological Status Substantival
Time · Grain Continuous
Time · Freedom Non-Deterministic
Time · Traversability Linear
Time · Dimensionality One
Time · Direction Uni-directional
Space · Extent Infinite
Space · Ontological Status Substantival
Space · Curvature Flat
Space · Dimensionality Three
Space · Locality Local
Matter · Extent Finite
Matter · Ontological Status Substantival
Matter · Conservation Conserved
Matter · Dimensionality Three
Matter · Locality Local
Observer · Time Instance Single
Observer · Space Instance Single
Observer · Knowledge Extent Partial
Observer · Knowledge Retainment Total
Observer · Physicality Embodied
Observer · Agency Both
Observer · Number Plural
Observer · Metaphysical Agency None
Observer · Moral Authority Reason
Observer · Theological Method
Energy · Extent Finite
Energy · Ontological Status Substantival
Energy · Conservation Conserved
Energy · Dispersibility Irreversible
Information · Ontological Status Substantival
Information · Cosmic Conservation Conserved
Information · Personal Conservation Conserved
Information · Granularity Continuous

Dimension-by-Dimension Evidence

What each work's passages reveal about its stance on each of the six dimensions.

Time

An Essay on the Principle of Population

The demographic-historical time of population growth.

Space

An Essay on the Principle of Population

The finite agricultural land.

Matter

An Essay on the Principle of Population

Finite food and infinite-growing population.

Observer

An Essay on the Principle of Population

Malthus as demographic-political economist.

Energy

An Essay on the Principle of Population

Energies of population checks (misery and vice).

Information

An Essay on the Principle of Population

Foundational demographic political-economic framework.

Internal Tensions

Where each work's argument pulls against itself.

An Essay on the Principle of Population

Malthus's thesis foundational for classical political economy and influenced Darwin's theory of natural selection.