Darwin believed that Malthus' ideas about human populations applied more strongly to animals and plants. Why?
To understand why Darwin believed that Malthus' ideas about human populations applied more strongly to animals and plants, we need to start with an understanding of Malthusian theory and its relevance to Darwin's theory of evolution.
Thomas Malthus was an economist who proposed a theory known as "Malthusianism" in the late 18th century. According to Malthus, human population growth tends to outpace the resources available for survival, leading to competition for those resources. He argued that this competition would result in a struggle for existence, where only the fittest individuals would survive and reproduce.
Charles Darwin, who was influenced by Malthus' ideas, extended this concept to the natural world and developed the theory of natural selection. Darwin believed that in the struggle for existence, individuals with favorable traits would be more likely to survive and reproduce, passing on those traits to their offspring. Over time, these advantageous traits would become more common in a population, driving the process of evolution.
Darwin believed that Malthus' ideas applied more strongly to animals and plants because they are subject to more intense competition and limited resources compared to humans. In the natural world, resources such as food, water, and shelter are often scarce and finite. This scarcity results in a constant struggle among species to secure these resources for survival and reproduction.
Unlike humans, animals and plants have limited ability to modify or control their environment to meet their needs. They must adapt to existing conditions or face the risk of extinction. Thus, the forces of natural selection are more pronounced and have a greater impact on shaping the characteristics of animal and plant populations.
In summary, Darwin believed that Malthus' ideas about competition, scarcity, and the struggle for existence applied more strongly to animals and plants due to their dependence on limited resources and their limited ability to modify their environment. This understanding formed the basis of his theory of evolution by natural selection.