Which economist is commonly nicknamed the 'prophet of doom'?

Which economist is commonly nicknamed the 'prophet of doom'?

• A. Karl Marx
• B. Carl Menger
• C. Thomas Robert Malthus
• D. Adam Smith

Answer: (C)

Thomas Robert Malthus earned the nickname because he warned that population tends to grow faster than the resources needed to support it, leading to inevitable shortages and misery unless checks on growth occur. His key idea is that population can increase geometrically while food supply grows only arithmetically, so over time famine, disease, or war would curb numbers and restore balance. That grim, forecasting tone is why people call him the “prophet of doom.” The other economists listed are known for different contributions: Marx for his theory of class struggle and socialist transformation, Smith for the benefits of free markets and the idea of the invisible hand, and Menger for founding the marginal-utility approach to value.

Thomas Robert Malthus earned the nickname because he warned that population tends to grow faster than the resources needed to support it, leading to inevitable shortages and misery unless checks on growth occur. His key idea is that population can increase geometrically while food supply grows only arithmetically, so over time famine, disease, or war would curb numbers and restore balance. That grim, forecasting tone is why people call him the “prophet of doom.” The other economists listed are known for different contributions: Marx for his theory of class struggle and socialist transformation, Smith for the benefits of free markets and the idea of the invisible hand, and Menger for founding the marginal-utility approach to value.