A Dissertation on the Numbers of Mankind, in Ancient and Modern Times

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Robert Wallace (1697-1771) was a minister of the Church of Scotland as well as an economist. In this work, first published in 1753, Wallace criticizes the chapter called "Populousn ess of Ancient Nations" in David Hume's "Political Discourses." Wallace argued that the population of the ancient world was greater than in modern times, a theory which Hume refuted. Nevertheless, this work, as well as Wallace's "Characteristics of the Present State of Great Britain" (1761) influenced the population growth theories of Robert Malthus. The fact that this dissertation was reprinted 56 years after its original publication indicates the revival of interest in population studies once Malthus published. Show more