Who is recognized as the father of demography and explored the relationship between food supplies and population?

Thomas Malthus is recognized as the father of demography primarily due to his significant contributions to the study of population dynamics and resources. In his seminal work "An Essay on the Principle of Population," published in 1798, Malthus examined the relationship between food supplies and population growth. He posited that populations tend to grow exponentially while food production grows at an arithmetic rate, leading to potential overpopulation and resulting in famine, disease, and other checks on population growth. This foundational concept has influenced both demographic studies and economic theories regarding population sustainability, underscoring the vital interplay between population size and resource availability.

In contrast, the other individuals mentioned made contributions to various scientific fields but did not focus on the specific dynamics of population and food supplies in the same manner as Malthus. Robert Hooke contributed to cellular biology and physics, John Ray was an early naturalist who worked on classification in botany, and Charles Lyell is known for his work in geology and the principles of uniformitarianism. Thus, Malthus’s unique focus on population and resources solidifies his designation as the pioneer in demography.