Robert Malthus

Un economista político convertido en demógrafo por aclamación popular

Abstract

In the heat of the current debates about world population, Robert Malthus is a relevant figure.
This article examines his thought from a double point of view. Firstly, it is held that this thought
cannot be classified according to the current criteria of academic division of labour. Rather than a
demographer, Malthus was a political economist whose interest on demography was subordinated to
his research aims in the field of political economy. Secondly, the article reviews the methodological
connections between the works of Malthus and of such a different author (but also a political
economist) as Karl Marx. This connections, that place both Malthus and Marx away from the
neoclassical school and the so-called neo-Malthusian thought, can be relevant to the analysis of the
current situation.