The Year of the Flood
Thomas Malthus, in 1798, identified the topic of runaway or exponential human population growth, warning us that an increase in resources (food supplies) could never keep up with the pace of population increase. This Malthusian perspective, that resources are finite and that human population size must ultimately be limited, has been countered by a Cornucopian perspective, which holds that human ingenuity and technological innovation offer an infinite capacity to increase the supply of resources. Examine the evidence for and against each of these perspectives, including the actual rate of overall, global population growth over the two centuries since Malthus. Which of these perspectives does Atwood's The Year of the Flood illustrate? Provide textual evidence to support your points.