Modernity And Cultural Decline: A Biobehavioral Perspective

Description

This book argues that despite the many real advantages that industrial modernity has yielded—including large gains in wealth, longevity, and (possibly) happiness—it has occurred together with the appearance of a variety of serious problems. Chief among these are probable losses in subjective existential purpose and increases in psychopathology. A highly original theory of the ultimate basis of these trends is advanced, which unites prior work in psychometrics and evolutionary science. This theory builds on the social epistasis amplification model to argue that genetic and epigenetic changes in modernizing and modernized populations, stemming from shifts in selective pressures related to industrialization, have lowered human fitness and wellness. Front Matter ....Pages i-xi Introduction (Matthew Alexandar Sarraf, Michael Anthony Woodley of Menie, Colin Feltham)....Pages 1-22 Defending Biobehavioral Science (Matthew Alexandar Sarraf, Michael Anthony Woodley of Menie, Colin Feltham)....Pages 23-74 Medieval and Modern Worlds (Matthew Alexandar Sarraf, Michael Anthony Woodley of Menie, Colin Feltham)....Pages 75-100 Discontent with Modernity (Matthew Alexandar Sarraf, Michael Anthony Woodley of Menie, Colin Feltham)....Pages 101-128 Enlightenment Never (Matthew Alexandar Sarraf, Michael Anthony Woodley of Menie, Colin Feltham)....Pages 129-196 Making the Case for Mutation Accumulation (Matthew Alexandar Sarraf, Michael Anthony Woodley of Menie, Colin Feltham)....Pages 197-228 The Social Epistasis Amplification Model: A Diachronic Test and Expansion of Theoretical Foundations (Matthew Alexandar Sarraf, Michael Anthony Woodley of Menie, Colin Feltham)....Pages 229-271 Biocosmic Pessimism (Matthew Alexandar Sarraf, Michael Anthony Woodley of Menie, Colin Feltham)....Pages 273-297 Back Matter ....Pages 299-307