Maxwell, Matthew J. (2024) Fitness, Mutational Load, and Eugenics. In: UNSPECIFIED.

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Abstract

Eugenic arguments are not a thing of the past. In 2016 prominent geneticist Michael Lynch published an article in Genetics arguing that human physical and mental performance is currently and will continue to decline at a rate of 1% per generation, if nothing is done to stop it. This estimate is not based on measurements of physical and mental performance, but on an argument from mutational load: medical interventions are relaxing selection on the human population which will lead to a buildup of deleterious mutations, dragging down human fitness. No policy recommendations were made, but the implication of the argument is clear. In this paper I show that the simple argument from relaxation of selection to fitness declines is invalid. When the argument is made valid it is not clear that there are any significant consequences to human population health.

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Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (UNSPECIFIED)
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Maxwell, Matthew J. mattjmaxwell42@gmail.com 0000-0002-6835-3983
Keywords:	Fitness, Eugenics, Genetic Load, Mutational Load, Lynch, Muller
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Biology General Issues > Science and Policy General Issues > Values In Science
Depositing User:	Matthew J. Maxwell
Date Deposited:	21 Dec 2024 13:38
Last Modified:	21 Dec 2024 13:38
Item ID:	24441
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Biology General Issues > Science and Policy General Issues > Values In Science
Date:	2024
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/24441

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