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| Author | Richard Lynn |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Series | Human Evolution, Behavior and Intelligence |
| Subject | Dysgenics |
| Publisher | Praeger Publishers |
| Publication date | 1996 |
| Media type | Hardcover, alkaline paper |
| Pages | 237 |
| ISBN | ISBN 0275949176 Parameter error in {{ISBNT}}: invalid character |
Dysgenics: Genetic Deterioration in Modern Populations is a 1996 book by Richard Lynn about dysgenics in modern societies. It is part of a series on human evolution, behavior and intelligence edited by Seymour Itzkoff.
Synopsis
The first chapter provides a historical background for the book. The history of eugenics is reviewed, from the early writings of Bénédict Morel and Francis Galton through the rise of eugenics in the early 20th century and its subsequent collapse. Three main concerns of eugenicists are identified: deterioration in health, intelligence and conscientiousness.
The second and third chapters concern natural selection in human populations. Lynn suggests that natural selection in preindustrial societies favoured traits such as intelligence and character, but that it then broke down. He uses the analogy of natural selection as a gardener, and quotes Hamlet’s line, “Tis an unweeded garden that grows to seed”.
Chapter four discusses genetic deterioration of health. The author argues that due to the advance of medicine, selection against those with poor genes for health was relaxed. With constant appearance of new mutant genes, the prevalence of genetic disorders like phenylketonuria is tripling every generation.
The subject of intelligence is taken up in following chapters. The fifth examines sibling studies, and Lynn concludes that the tendency of children with a high number of siblings to be the least intelligent is evidence of dysgenic fertility. Chapters six and seven concern the relationship between intelligence and fertility in the United States and Europe, respectively, and the author concludes that research supports the notion that fertility was higher among the less intelligent, especially in the earlier part of the 20th century.
The next chapter confronts the ‘paradox’ of the rise in intelligence. Lynn concedes that there has been a genuine increase in phenotypic intelligence, but argues that this is caused by environmental factors (primarily, improved nutrition), and is masking a decline in genotypic intelligence (see Flynn effect).
Education and fertility is discussed next, and it is surmised that those with greater educational achievement have fewer children, and that this corroborates the evidence that intelligence and fertility are negatively correlated. Continuing the theme of correlates of fertility, socioeconomic status and fertility is the subject of chapter ten. Again, the relationship appears to be negative, which Lynn believes to be because there is increasingly ineffective use of contraception with declining socioeconomic class. The next chapter stays with the theme of socioeconomic status, this time exploring its relationship with intelligence. Lynn agrees with Lewis Terman’s comment that “he children of successful and cultivated parents test higher than children from wretched and ignorant homes for the simple reason that their heredity is better”.
Chapters twelve through fourteen introduce the topic of conscientiousness, the twelfth examining its relationship with socioeconomic status. In this chapter evidence is presented that socioeconomic status is negatively correlated with indicators of conscientiousness such as work ethic, moral values and crime. Next the genetic basis of differences in conscientiousness is discussed, and Lynn concludes that twin studies provide evidence of a high heritability for the trait. Chapter 14 returns to fertility, and again the conclusion is that the less conscientious, such as criminals, are having more offspring.
The penultimate chapter concerns whether similar trends are occurring in developing countries. Although evidence for such a trend is less strong, Lynn concludes that “dysgenic fertility is a worldwide phenomenon of modern populations” (p. 196).
The sixteenth and final chapter examines counterarguments. These include that the traits discussed are not genetically determined, that intelligence and fertility can be inversely related without dysgenics, that socioeconomic classes do not differ genetically, and that there is no such thing as a ‘bad gene’. These arguments are dismissed, and Lynn asserts that these trends represent a serious problem. Finally, he expresses support for eugenics, which is the subject of his next book, Eugenics: A Reassessment.
Reception
Reviews in academic journals
- Review by Marian Van Court (abbreviated version published in Journal of Social, Political, and Economic Studies)
- Review in Population and Development Review by John R. Wilmoth
- Review in Journal of Biosocial Science by N. J. MacKintosh
- Review in Annals of Human Genetics by W. D. Hamilton
- Review in The Quarterly Review of Biology by Henry Harpending
- Bouchard, T.J. (1999). Review of Dysgenics: Genetic Deterioration in Modern Populations. American Journal of Human Biology, 11, 272-274.
- Review in Population Studies Daniel R. Vining, Jr.
- Review in Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science by John C. Loehlin
- Review in Personality and Individual Differences by Kevin B. MacDonald (Lynn sits on the editorial board of this journal)
Magazines and newspapers
- Descent of Man: A landmark study of a growing problem Thomas Jackson in American Renaissance
- Review published in internet magazine Politically Incorrect by Chris Brand
- Professor predicts genetic decline and fall of man The Sunday Times
See also
- The Bell Curve - cited in this book several times
Other books by Lynn
- IQ and the Wealth of Nations (2002)
- Race Differences in Intelligence (2006)
- IQ and Global Inequality (2006)
References
- Modell, B. and Kuliev, A. M. (1989) Impact of public health on human genetics. Clinical Genetics. 36: 286-298.
- Terman, L. M. (1922) Were we born that way? World's Work. 44: 660-682, p. 671)
- Lynn, R. (2001). Eugenics: A Reassessment. Westport, Conn.: Praeger. pp. 366 pp. ISBN ISBN 0275958221.
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