1957 年，中國近代著名經濟學家馬寅初提出《新人口論》，受到各方批評的聲浪， 指責此一論點係「馬爾薩斯主義」。馬寅初則撰文反駁，一方面強調自己的理論與馬爾 薩斯有別，二方面反控對手為「教條主義者」。此一事件至今，馬寅初的人口理論是否 立基於馬爾薩斯，無人深究。另一方面，馬爾薩斯理論在中國近代學術界的角色和處 境，也影響了此一事件的發展。因此，本文試圖梳理馬寅初的學思和師承，了解馬寅 初的人口理論與馬爾薩斯的關係，同時在更大的學術與知識氛圍中，說明何以中共對 馬爾薩斯理論懷有敵意，以致有此一事件在中共建政早期出現。本文認為，馬爾薩斯 人口理論在近代中國始終受到革命派和政治激進主義分子的反對和排斥，因為馬爾薩 斯將貧窮問題理解為窮人無法控制生育所致，而非社會不公。至於馬寅初的人口理論 的確在一定程度上受到馬爾薩斯關於人口增長和糧食增長的反比關係之影響，然而批 評者（以張培剛為主）在運用馬克思主義的理論時也未必真確。

In 1957, the famous economist in modern China, Ma Yin-chu, proposed his “New Population Theory” which was criticized as “Malthusianism” by many. Ma rejected these points, and by writing back, he emphasized his differences from Malthus and called his critics “Dogmatists”. Since then, no one has studied whether Ma Yin-chu’s theory was founded on the theory of Malthus. On the other hand, the role and situation of the Malthusian theory among the academic circle of modern China also affected the development of this event. Accordingly, this paper attempts to delineate the scholarly thinking and intellectual tradition of Ma in order to understand the theoretical relations between Ma Yin-chu and Malthus. Meanwhile, in the larger academic and scholarly context, this study explains the reason of the CCP’s hostility towards Malthusian theory, and of the incident of Ma. This paper suggests that the Malthusian theory of population had always been opposed and rejected by revolutionaries and radical elements in modern China because Malthus understood the problem of poverty as a result of the poor being incapable of birth control, not social inequality. Indeed, to a certain extent, the Malthusian theory of population was affected by Malthus’ reverse correlations between demographic growth and increase in food supply. Yet, as I argue, even those who used Marxist theory (particularly people like Chang Pei-gang) might not have understood it correctly.