Guest: Padraic Scanlan. Scanlan explains the Victorian view of the famine through the lens of economist Thomas Malthus, who believed the "generous" potato encouraged overpopulation. He notes that British policymakers viewed the famine as a natural, inevit

Guest: Padraic Scanlan. Scanlan explains the Victorian view of the famine through the lens of economist Thomas Malthus, who believed the "generous" potato encouraged overpopulation. He notes that British policymakers viewed the famine as a natural, inevitable correction and feared that providing aid would discourage the Irish poor from developing a "civilized" work ethic.