Thomas Robert Malthus, naturalist of the mind

Abstract

In 1798, Thomas Robert Malthus's infamous An Essay on the Principle of Population was published. The publication of the Essay is best remembered for Malthus's principle - that population multiplies geometrically as opposed to subsistence increasing arithmetically. What is not well known, however, is that Malthus's Essay also offered a sophisticated - and heterodox - theory of mind. Despite a recent revival in Malthusian scholarship, Malthus's theory of mind has been largely forgotten. The present study attempts to address this neglected area within the literature, by evaluating Malthus's contribution to the naturalization of the soul. I first situate Malthus's theory of mind within the Essay's broader naturalization project, examining Malthus's role as naturalist; his views on humans as animals; and the Essay's cosmology. This is followed by an exploration of the making and reception of the Essay, illustrating how readers widely interpreted Malthus's theory of mind as a theory of naturalization. Finally, I reconstruct Malthus's naturalized system of mind, discussing the mechanisms and dynamics involved in the operation of a materialist mind. In sum, I argue for the centrality of Malthus's Essay in the larger naturalization movement, specifically as it pertains to the soul.

Keywords: Darwin; Malthus; materialism; naturalization; theory of mind.