Lately, the evolutionary psychology crowd has been buzzing about a wild idea: Is the rise of Leftism since the 1960s partly due to mutational load, the build-up of harmful genetic glitches in human DNA? Proponents like Joseph Bronski argue that as modern medicine lets more mutations slip through (thanks to older parents and better infant survival), these "spiteful mutants" push society Leftward, eroding traditional norms on gender, sexuality, and race. It's provocative, tying politics to biology in a way that makes headlines (and enemies).
But as Noah Carl and Bo Winegard lay out in their sharp Aporia takedown, the evidence doesn't stack up. Higher IQ, a solid proxy for low mutational load, predicts more social liberalism, not less. And the Leftward shift? It's not just generational swaps; whole cohorts are flipping views over time, which genetics can't explain. So, if Leftism isn't a genetic glitch, what's brewing it? Enter the Brian Simpson social mutation view: Leftism as a cultural pathology, a meme-"virus" born from warped thought patterns, amplified by elite institutions and social feedback loops. It's not in their genes, it's in their heads, and it's spreading like bad ideas and bad smells do.
The Mutational Load Hypothesis: A Genetic Gamble That Doesn't Pay Off
First, the basics. Mutational load theory posits that de novo mutations, random DNA hiccups, accumulate faster in comfy modern societies. Pre-industrial life culled them via high mortality; now, they linger, subtly sabotaging fitness. Bronski extends this to politics: These mutations foster "spiteful" traits like low conscientiousness or high neuroticism, which manifest as Leftist views, tolerance for non-traditional families, anti-racism, pro-LGBTQ+ stances. Why? Maybe because mutants resent hierarchy, or evolution wired Leftism as a low-fitness signal.
Sounds edgy, but it crumbles on two fronts, as Carl and Winegard note.
1. IQ: The Wrong-Way Proxy
If mutations drive Leftism, proxies for load should correlate with liberal views. Mental illness and paternal age do (slightly), hinting at chaos in the brain. But IQ? It's a stellar load detector; high IQ links to better health, longevity, and fewer rare deleterious variants. Mutations tank IQ, so high load should mean low IQ and Leftism.
No; not so. A 2015 meta-analysis of 67 studies found IQ negatively correlates with social conservatism (r = -0.20) — smarter folks lean liberal on social issues. Recent polygenic scores (genetic IQ predictors) confirm: They forecast social liberalism and anti-authoritarianism within families, controlling for upbringing. In the U.S. General Social Survey, low-vocab scorers (Wordsum 0-1) are 33 points more likely to call homosexuality "always wrong" than high scorers (9-10). Even non-verbal IQ at age 11 predicts liberal attitudes at 30.
Fiscal conservatism bucks this (higher IQ likes markets), but on Bronski's core issues, women, gays, minorities, smarts skew Left. If anything, low IQ (high load) breeds conservatism. Mutations might make you a traditionalist grump, not a woke warrior.
2. Cohort vs. Period: The Timing Mismatch
Genetics acts slow, mutations build across generations (cohort effects). But Leftism's surge? It's partly period effects: Everyone, young, old, middle, shifts Left simultaneously. On gay rights, studies pin 35-54% of the change on periods, not cohorts. In Britain, cohort replacement explains some tolerance rise, but societal vibes (period) drive the rest, lines slope up across ages. East Asia echoes: Japanese and Korean attitudes liberalise within cohorts, not just between.
Panel data debunks aging liberals: Views stabilise post-30; no mass conservative drift. Mutations can't make Boomers suddenly pro-gay marriage in 2015, that's culture.
Twin studies show politics is 40% heritable overall, but environment dominates shifts. Mutations might nibble at edges, but they're no political puppet master.
The Better Bet: Social Mutation — Leftism as a Cultural Pathogen
If genes flop, try memes, culture. Leftism isn't a DNA dud; it's a thought pathology, a self-replicating cultural glitch born from elite echo chambers, trauma responses, and incentive misfires. Think of it as social evolution gone haywire: Ideas mutate via sloppy transmission (social media, academia), spread if they hijack emotions, and pathology emerges when they erode group fitness without adaptive payoff.
This "social mutation" lens, drawing from cultural evolution theory, sees Leftism as a cultural "virus" exploiting modern pathologies. Unlike genetic load (slow, blind), cultural mutations are fast, directed by human flaws: Virtue-signalling, status games, unresolved grievances.
Pathologies of Thought: How Leftism Mutates Culturally
1.Elite Overproduction and Ideological Drift: Peter Turchin's cliodynamics nails it, too many smart grads chase scarce elite spots, breeding resentment-fuelled radicalism. Campuses, once idea labs, become grievance factories. Postmodernism mutates into "my truth" relativism, where facts bow to feelings. Result? Leftism as status signal: Smug tolerance masks power grabs.
2.Trauma Amplification and Pathological Altruism: High neuroticism (a heritable trait) correlates with liberalism, but it's cultural: Post-60s therapy culture pathologises normal strife into systemic oppression narratives. "Pathological altruism" (per Barbara Oakley) drives self-sabotage, open borders for virtue points, ignoring costs. Social media mutates this: Echo chambers amplify outrage, turning empathy into enforced conformity.
3.Incentive Rot: The Meme Economy: Cultural evolution favours sticky ideas. Leftism thrives on victimhood memes, easy to transmit, dopamine hits from likes. But it's unfit: Erodes family (divorce spikes), fertility (1.6 U.S. rate), cohesion (polarisation at highs). Unlike adaptive conservatism (hierarchy stabilises), Leftism's equity obsession breeds fragility, DEI fatigue at 60%.
Evidence? Period effects scream culture: AIDS crisis, Obergefell, events flip views overnight. High-IQ liberals? They're abstract thinkers, prone to utopian memes over gritty realism. It's not genes; it's garbage in, garbage out.
Compare to genetic theory: Mutations predict uniform decay; cultural ones explain booms (1960s counterculture) and busts (current populist backlash). Leftism as pathogen fits Turchin's cycles, pathologies peak, then purge.
Wrapping the Helix: Genes Whisper, Culture Screams
Mutational load? A fun hypothesis, but it IQ-bombs itself and can't clock period shifts. Bronski's "solely evolutionary" claim? No, maybe 10% genetic nudge, maximum. Social mutation nails it: Leftism as cultural cancer, spawned by thought pathologies in elite petri dishes, spreading via emotional contagion.
The fix? Cultural antibiotics: Foster critical thinking, reward realism, decentralise power. High IQ cuts both ways — use it to meme better ideas. Fight to eliminate Leftism through legal cultural revolutions
https://www.aporiamagazine.com/p/can-mutation-load-explain-the-rise