Franklin, Malthus, and Darwin: the Push That Became a Shove

University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies Nebraska Academy of Sciences 1991 Franklin, Malthus, and Darwin: The Push that Became A Shove Carl R. Throckmorton Hastings College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tnas Part of the Life Sciences Commons Throckmorton, Carl R., "Franklin, Malthus, and Darwin: The Push that Became A Shove" (1991). Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies. 160. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tnas/160 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Nebraska Academy of Sciences at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societiesy b an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. 1991. Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences, XVIII: 173-177 FRANKLIN, MALTHUS, AND DARWIN: THE PUSH THAT BECAME A SHOVE Carl R. Throckmorton Physics Department Hastings College Hastings, Nebraska 68901 Malthus set to work on an expanded version of the Benjamin Franklin wrote an essay in 1751 that he first essay (Malthus, 1798), he became aware of hoped would help to change the conduct of England toward Franklin's own essay on population growth written its North American colonies. In the essay, Franklin almost half a century earlier (Franklin, 1751). made the observation that the colonies were doubling their Over the next quarter of a century, Malthus pub population every 25 years to illustrate the rapid growth of the colonies compared with that of England. Thomas lished five more editions of his essay and, in each, Malthus discovered Benjamin Franklin's essay shortly Franklin's comments were given a prominent after the publication of his own essay on population in place in the first chapter (Malthus, 1826). 1798. He considered Franklin's data to be proof of his own theory of how populations grow and credited Franklin in Both Franklin and Malthus lived in the eigh the five later editions of his essay. Charles Darwin, in teenth century, a time when Europe had recently turn, credits Malthus with the inspiration of natural selec escaped the stagnation of the Middle Ages and the tion-how nature could select some that are born and elim Industrial Revolution was making itself felt across inate others-for it is reading the 1826 edition of Reverend Europe and North America. New areas were open Malthus' essay that gave Charles Darwin the clue which ing to colonial activity, and it was a time of eco led to what has come to be called "natural selection." nomic growth and expansion. Life was still diffi These remarkable events are a footnote in the history of science between 1750 and 1858 when "Origin of Species" cult for the average person, but the North American was published. colonists found a vast continent, rich in resources and ripe for unprecedented expansion. With u~ t t t limited resources, Colonial America began to expe rience rapid population growth. The American The purpose of this note is to call attention to the colonists, upon landing in America, had found an contribution of Benjamin Franklin and Reverend essentially unpopulated land with enormous re Thomas Robert Malthus to Charles Darwin's quest sources. Thus, there were fewer checks on the popu for understanding of the origin of plant and animal lation than in England or the European continent species. Each of these persons had considerable in where means of subsistence were more marginal: fluence on his world in his own time, and Darwin's By 1751, when Franklin wrote his essay, there had book, "The Origin of Species" (Darwin, 1858), can been 100 years of colonial experience, but no census be said to be one of a few books that has changed the had been taken to determine the size of the popula course of history. tion. Franklin, most likely, made an educated guess in regard to the expanding American popula When Malthus published an essay on population tion-a guess that was to become a remarkable pre in 1798, he was unaware of two things: namely, that diction (Zirkle, 1957). the essay would become one of the most famous es says ever written, and that he had been anticipated Thomas Robert Malthus was born into comfort by others, including Benjamin Franklin. As able ci~cumstances, matriculated to Jesus College, CambrIdge, and graduated in 1788. The Reverend 173 174 Franklin, Malthus, and Darwin Malthus had a curacy in Surrey at the time that he wrote "An Essay on the Principle of Population as it At the time that Malthus wrote these words, there Affects the Future Improvement of Society with Re had been considerable discussion about how popula marks on the Speculations of Mr. Godwin, M. Con tions grow. Graunt (1662) is considered by some to dorcet, and Other Writers," published anonymously be the father of demography, and others, such as in 1798 (Malthus, 1798). The meaning of the title de Wallace (1753), had shown that populations that serves some explanation. Malthus' father was a so grow unchecked tend to grow in a manner of a geo called utopian; he and his friends discussed the metrical progression. As Zirkle points out: "This prospect of a future where poverty, misery, vice, geometrical increase in unchecked human popula want, and greed might be eliminated. They were tion is today an accepted truism and is implied in hopeful for the perfectibility of mankind and soci our method of describing population growth. Every ety. It was in this setting that Malthus took a non population that is growing at a constant rate-no utopian point of view-a position opposite to that of matter what that rate may be-is increasing in a ge his father, Mr. Godwin, M. Condorcet, and others ometrical series" (Zirkle, 1957). (hence, the title). Malthus argued that the way to Utopia was blocked by mankind always pressing on Benjamin Franklin-American printer, in the limit of subsistence. He postulated that "food is ventor, scientist, politician writer, and statesman necessary to the existence of man" and. that "the was, by every measure, a giant of the 18th century. passion between the sexes is necessary and will re Aside from his natural curiosity, which must have main in its present state." This leads to the often been prodigious, he seems to have become interested quoted eloquent statement in the first essay: in population growth in the colonies at a time when England's repressive tax measures threatened eco Population, when unchecked, increases in a nomic growth. America had an abundance of iron geometric ratio. Subsistence increases only ore and coal, but the British, ever mindful of compe in an arithmetical ratio. tition, passed the Iron Act of 1750, which effectively prevented the industry from competing with British At the time he wrote this statement, he had no iron goods. This, and other repressive measures, data to support this position, but, as we shall see, Ben prompted Franklin to seek ways to persuade Eng jamin Franklin was destined to provide that sup land to grant the colonies more freedom (Fleming, port. Over 25 years later, in the appendix of his sixth 1972). edition, Malthus writes: Franklin grew up in a family of modest means, The first of these propositions I considered as born in Boston in 1706, the tenth and youngest son proved the moment the American increase out of a total of seventeen children. His father was a was related, and that second proposition as soon as it was enunciated (Malthus, 1826). tallow chandler and soap boiler, and Benjamin ap prenticed as a printer and journalist. He prospered The restraints that Rev. Malthus postulated on in the printing-and-publishing business. So much population growth were vice, misery, and lack of so that he was able to offer a partnership in the print sustenance. ing business to his foreman, David Hall, in 1747 (Fleming, 1972). This allowed him more time to de Malthus was still basking in the success of the vote to his many other interests, especially science, first printing of his essay when he discovered that for this is the period in which Franklin did consid support for his thesis could be found in the writings erable research in electricity. By the summer of of others, especially Benjamin Franklin of the 1750, he had shown that lightning and electricity United States. In the Preface to the Second Edition, were one and the same. His discoveries in science Malthus discusses his reasons for writing the first and inventions, such as the Franklin stove, were to paper and states that he made further inquiries and make him famous in his own time. He also had found that more study had been done on population time for other activities, such as politics in the than he was aware of in 1798: colonies and the topic that proved so useful to Malthus, his essay on population. And of late years the subject has been treated in such a manner by some of the French Franklin kept carefully tuned to the politics of Economists, occasionally by Montesquieu, the day so it was natural for him to follow the pas and, among our own writers, by Dr. sage of the British Iron Act and to rise up in support Franklin, Sir James Steward, ... (Malthus, of the colonies. He was aware of the uniqueness of 1802). the American potential, but was still supportive of Franklin, Malthus, and Darwin 175 England and saw the colonies as part of a frontier empire (Wright, 1986). He wrote the essay in hopes Franklin's essay had a greater immediate im of winning more freedom for the colonies and circu pact on the politics of the period than it did on demo lated among his friends in America and England.

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