Editing Malthusianism (section)

== Preventive vs. positive population controls ==
{{See also|Human population planning}}
[[File:Malthus PL en.svg|thumb|The Malthusian catastrophe simplistically illustrated]]
To manage population growth with respect to food supply, Malthus proposed methods which he described as ''preventive'' or ''positive'' checks:
* A ''preventive check'' according to Malthus is that in which nature may alter population changes. Some primary examples are celibacy and chastity but also contraception, which Malthus condemned as morally indefensible along with infanticide, abortion and adultery.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Niyibizi |first=S. |year=1991 |title=Malthus, malthusianism, family planning and ONAPO |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12317099 |journal=Imbonezamuryango |issue=21 |pages=5–9 |pmid=12317099}} {{langx|fr|le malthusianisme, le planning familial et l'ONAPO}}</ref> In other words, preventive checks control the population by reducing fertility rates.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-herkimer-intro-to-sociology-1/chapter/reading-demographic-theories/ |title=Reading: Demographic Theories &#124; Introductory Sociology |website=courses.lumenlearning.com}}</ref>
* A ''positive check'' is any event or circumstance that shortens the human life span. The primary examples of this are [[war]], [[epidemic|plague]] and [[famine]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url=http://www.esp.org/books/malthus/population/malthus.pdf |title=An Essay on The Principle of Population |last=Malthus |first=Thomas Robert |author-link=Thomas Malthus |date=1798 |website=Electronic Scholarly Publishing Project |access-date=29 March 2018}}</ref> However, poor health and economic conditions are also considered instances of positive checks.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Simkins |first=Charles |date=2001 |title=Can South Africa Avoid a Malthusian Positive Check? |jstor=20027682 |journal=[[Daedalus (journal)|Daedalus]] |volume=130 |issue=1 |pages=123–150 |pmid=19068951}}</ref> When these lead to high rates of premature death, the result is termed a Malthusian catastrophe. The adjacent diagram depicts the abstract point at which such an event would occur, in terms of existing population and food supply: when the population reaches or exceeds the capacity of the shared supply, positive checks are forced to occur, restoring balance. (In reality the situation would be significantly more nuanced due to complex regional and individual disparities around access to food, water, and other resources.)