Spiteful Mutants
Book • 2022
Edward Dutton's 'Spiteful Mutants' argues that reduced natural selection in modern societies has allowed deleterious genetic variants affecting behavior to accumulate.
Dutton links these changes to contemporary cultural phenomena—such as declining fertility, rising mental health problems, and certain political or social movements—framing them as consequences of genetic and social feedback loops.
The book draws on evolutionary theory, studies of social epistasis, and comparative animal research to support its claims.
It is polemical and controversial, engaging topics like ideology, sexuality, and religiosity through an evolutionary lens.
The work aims to provoke debate about how modern medicine and social protection interact with human evolutionary dynamics.
Dutton links these changes to contemporary cultural phenomena—such as declining fertility, rising mental health problems, and certain political or social movements—framing them as consequences of genetic and social feedback loops.
The book draws on evolutionary theory, studies of social epistasis, and comparative animal research to support its claims.
It is polemical and controversial, engaging topics like ideology, sexuality, and religiosity through an evolutionary lens.
The work aims to provoke debate about how modern medicine and social protection interact with human evolutionary dynamics.
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Malcolm Collins
Are Progressives Mutants Who Hate Society? (Understanding Spiteful Mutant Theory)
