Exam 3: Demographic Perspectives
Based on the information provided in this chapter, which writer-Malthus or Marx-would sound most modern and relevant to twenty-first-century demographers? Defend your answer.
In the twenty-first century, Karl Marx would sound most modern and relevant to demographers. While Thomas Malthus' theories on population growth and resource scarcity were influential in his time, Marx's analysis of social and economic structures, including the relationship between population and production, remains highly relevant today.
Marx's focus on the impact of capitalism on population dynamics, inequality, and social change speaks directly to contemporary issues such as income inequality, globalization, and the environmental impact of industrialization. His emphasis on the role of social and economic forces in shaping population trends aligns with modern demographic research, which recognizes the complex interplay of factors such as economic development, urbanization, and social inequality in shaping population dynamics.
Furthermore, Marx's critique of the capitalist mode of production and its impact on population growth and distribution resonates with ongoing debates about the sustainability of current economic systems and their implications for population growth and well-being. In this sense, Marx's analysis provides a valuable framework for understanding and addressing the demographic challenges of the twenty-first century.
Overall, while Malthus' ideas were influential in their time, Marx's analysis of the social and economic forces shaping population dynamics makes his work more relevant and modern for twenty-first-century demographers.
Marx's denial of the potential for population problems in a socialist society was shown to be true by what later happened in Russia and China.
False
Malthus's concept of positive checks to population growth would conform most closely to what we call
A
Malthus and Marx agreed on the causes of population growth, but not on the consequences.
The most significant difference between Malthus and subsequent neo-Malthusians is that neo-Malthusians
The influential theorist who described his own theory as "the doctrine of Malthus applied with manifold force to the whole animal and vegetable kingdoms" was
Malthus's natural law of population concluded that the end result of population growth was
Demographic transition theory relates the different timing in mortality and fertility declines to the interstitial growth in population.
An important element added to population thinking by J. S. Mill was that
The theory of demographic change and response added the _______ to the theory of the demographic transition.
The doctrine of mercantilism maintained that the more people a nation had, the more it could produce, and thus the wealthier it would be.
A key element in the Easterlin hypothesis is that the relative size of cohorts can influence the way in which people and societies change over time.
The essential element of Malthus's Principle of Population was that
The cultural reawakening of Europe after the Middle Ages is attributable especially to
It was obvious even in Malthus's lifetime that his theory had numerous defects. Describe those defects and discuss why, given them, we are still talking about Malthus.
What are the important aspects of culture that need to be brought into the picture if we are to fully understand the ideas behind the First and then the Second Demographic Transitions?
The concept least consistent with Malthus's idea about moral restraint is to
The reformulation of the demographic transition theory was inspired especially by
Theoretical explanations for the demographic transition were initially drawn from _______ theory.
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