抄録
There is no agreement among researchers on whether the world population can continue to increase when its effect
on the environment is considered. In this paper, I reviewed the views of the neo-Malthusians who are pessimistic
about the influences of the population growth on the environment and the revisionists those are optimistic about this
problem to find out the reasons and backgrounds for their different positions. The results of the review indicated
that the difference between the neo-Malthusians and revisionists is ascribed to the distinctions in their view toward
nature. Neo-Malthusians evaluate effects of population increase on the environment from a nature-oriented view such
that nature cannot be controlled by humans while revisionists grasp environmental problems related to population
increase from a human-oriented view where they believe nature can be ruled by humans.
