Based Camp | Simone & Malcolm Collins

The Genetic Reason Europe Keeps Failing

Mar 19, 2026
They discuss new research linking World War I deaths to long-term drops in local innovation and high-impact inventions. They explore how lost networks and selective migration shaped risk-taking cultures and compare European and American immigrant filters. They debate cultural and regulatory reasons for Europe’s technological lag and practical responses like pro-natalism, selective networks, and building resilient innovation hubs.
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INSIGHT

Human Capital Shocks Hit Knowledge Networks Hardest

  • Innovation losses occur via two channels: existing innovators drop productivity and fewer new successful innovators emerge.
  • Productivity hits are deepest in specialized, complementary networks like electricity and machinery but lighter in textiles or construction.
INSIGHT

European Casualties Amplified Dysgenic Damage

  • British male WWI mortality reached 6.7% of men 15–49, while France and Germany lost far higher shares, amplifying dysgenic effects.
  • Russia and some German cohorts suffered up to ~30–50% losses in WWII, implying much larger innovation damage.
ANECDOTE

Scots‑Irish Founder Effect In US Frontier Culture

  • Scots‑Irish ancestry produced a small founder population (≈3,300 fighting‑age men) that disproportionately shaped U.S. frontier culture.
  • Malcolm uses this to show tiny migratory stocks can dominate if culturally adaptive and risk‑oriented.
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