sum of misery and that betterment of the lot of mankind is impossible without stern limits on reproduction." This means that there is overpopulation, and the natural check of misery (poverty) is coming into effect in order to balance out overpopulation. However, by trying to help poverty, we are (according to Malthus) making the situation worse. In the short run, there seems to be an improvement because those poor people are better off and can do well. This situation would lead to a larger population than before, and therefore would lead to a greater number of people becoming impoverished. He therefore shunned charities and proposed that by leaving poverty alone, and by moral restraint and vice (contraception and population control); the situation would take care of itself. "If the only check to population is misery, the population will grow until it is miserable enough to check its growth."In the last two hundred years, Malthus' Essay has sparked controversy and made people aware of population growth. In every generation, there have been Malthusians who caused panic among people. And there have been people like the late Julian Simon who said that Malthusians were talking nonsense. Although Malthus has been proven wrong time and time again, he has made people more aware of the fact that one day he could be right. Malthus is an important economist not only because he proposed his theory. He is important because his works made us aware that if we don't watch out, we might one day prove him right. ...
