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1、AnEssayonthePrincipleofPopulationbyThomasMalthus1798ANESSAYONTHEPRINCIPLEOFPOPULATION,ASITAFFECTSTHEFUTUREIMPROVEMENTOFSOCIETYWITHREMARKSONTHESPECULATIONSOFMR.GODWIN,M.CONDORCET,ANDOTHERWRITERS.LONDON,PRINTEDFORJ.JOHNSON,INST.PAUL'SCHURCH-YARD,1798.Pre
2、faceTHEfollowingEssayowesitsorigintoaconversationwithafriend,onthesubjectofMrGodwin'sessayon'AvariceandProfusion'inhisEnquirer.Thediscussionstartedthegeneralquestionofthefutureimprovementofsociety.andtheAuthoratfirstsatdownwithanintentionofmerelystatin
3、ghisthoughtstohisfriend,uponpaper,inaclearermannerthanhethoughthecoulddoinconversation.Butasthesubjectopeneduponhim,someideasoccurred,whichhedidnotrecollecttohavemetwithbefore;andasheconceivedthateveryleastlight,onatopicsogenerallyinteresting,mightbere
4、ceivedwithcandour,hedeterminedtoputhisthoughtsinaformforpublication.TheEssaymight,undoubtedly,havebeenrenderedmuchmorecompletebyacollectionofagreaternumberoffactsinelucidationofthegeneralargument.Butalongandalmosttotalinterruptionfromveryparticularbusi
5、ness,joinedtoadesire(perhapsimprudent)ofnotdelayingthepublicationmuchbeyondthetimethatheoriginallyproposed,preventedtheAuthorfromgivingtothesubjectanundividedattention.Hepresumes,however,thatthefactswhichhehasadducedwillbefoundtoformnoinconsiderableevi
6、denceforthetruthofhisopinionrespectingthefutureimprovementofmankind.AstheAuthorcontemplatesthisopinionatpresent,littlemoreappearstohimtobenecessarythanaplainstatement,inadditiontothemostcursoryviewofsociety,toestablishit.Itisanobvioustruth,whichhasbeen
7、takennoticeofbymanywriters,thatpopulationmustalwaysbekeptdowntothelevelofthemeansofsubsistence;butnowriterthattheAuthorrecollectshasinquiredparticularlyintothemeansbywhichthisleveliseffected:anditisaviewofthesemeanswhichforms,tohismind,thestrongestobst
8、acleinthewaytoanyverygreatfutureimprovementofsociety.Hehopesitwillappearthat,inthediscussionofthisinterestingsubject,heisactuatedsolelybyaloveoftruth,andnotbyanyprejudicesagainstanyparticularsetofmen,orofopinions.Heprofessestohavereadso
