Thomas Malthus, an English economist and the author of An Essay on the Principles of Population, influenced Charles Darwin exceedingly; aiding him in creating what is now considered probably one of the most preeminent theories in our history. Going against those who believed social engineering was the solution to almost everything, Malthus wrote and published his book in 1798. It wasn't until 1838, a couple of years after arriving from his five year trip around the world, that Darwin was struck by Malthus' book. His book brought to light an issue in which we are currently facing more so now, than ever. His book states that as population increasingly grows, famine and disease would as well; creating a struggle for limiting resources.
Darwin drew upon this hypothesis and figured that not only was it applicable to humans, but also to animals; and in doing so figured out what was preventing animals from reproducing at their potential. He realized that animals, having limited resources, would have to unconsciously fight for survival. Some being predisposed for survival, based on their environment and traits, would survive; weeding out those with undesirable traits. Without the influence of Malthus, Darwin, nor Alfred Russel Wallace his competitor, would have never concluded the theory of natural selection. "It at once struck me that under these circumstances favorable variations would tend to be preserved and unfavorable ones to be destroyed. The result of this would be the formation of a new species" (F. Darwin, 1950, pp. 55-54).
The onset of evolutionary ideas in England produced stereotypical views on the type of people who supported them; most of which were atheist and socialist. The engrossing fear that society, friends, and more importantly, his wife, wouldn't agree with Darwin's book halted the publication of the book. It was not until 1858 when Wallace sent him a paper entitling, "On the Tendency of Varieties to Depart Indefinitely from the Original Type," which seemed oddly similar to his research, that Darwin set out to complete his goals and published his book on December 1859.
