22. Dutton, E. & Rayner-Hilles, J.O.A. (2024). Woke Eugenics: How Social Justice is a Mask for Social Darwinism. Perth: Imperium Press.
The political right has long viewed Wokeness as an agent of destruction for the West. But what if the opposite is true? What if Wokeness is the West trying to save itself? Should conservatives welcome Wokeness with open arms?
Modern prosperity has relaxed selection pressures and let genetic mutations flourish, as seen in the rise of anti-social behaviour and the decline of intelligence. Wokeness appeals to the genetic mutant and convinces him to stop breeding—thus removing him from the gene pool. Wokeness is the ultimate eugenics.
In this book, Dutton and Rayner-Hilles formulate a radical hypothesis: that the far-left and the far-right are actually subconsciously conspiring together to try to save mankind from complete extinction by collapsing our lethally dysgenic modern civilisation.
“Dutton and Rayner-Hilles advance an empirically and normatively provocative thesis: that dysgenic mutations in a climate of abundance are responsible for the Woke phenomenon, and it’s a good thing too! The book blends evolutionary psychology, genetics, macro-history and psychology, and is packed with references to interesting studies. The argument will undoubtedly come under fire from many directions, but is original, thought-provoking and well-written—a fascinating read.”
Prof. Eric Kaufmann, Professor of Political Science, University of Buckingham.
“A devastating critique of Wokeness, or, perhaps, a devastating acclaim! Dutton and Rayner-Hilles marshal a vast array of contemporary evidence to show that Wokeness is so dysfunctional that it serves an evolutionary purpose, namely, of weeding out the unfit. Such an ‘ideological evolution,’ combined with a potent technological system, likely accounts for much of the social disarray that we see around us. A stunning and sorely-needed analysis.”
Dr David Skrbina, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Michigan at Dearborn.
“In this book, Professor Dutton and Mr Rayner-Hilles detail an interesting experiment the “elite” in our society is running. What happens if the dominant cultural group in a society takes one ethnic group and systematically mimetically sterilises everyone in it that displays a wide swath of related sociological profiles? Professor Dutton explores this question with the offensive disregard for social norms that is his signature.”
Malcolm Collins, Pronatalist.org
21. Dutton, E. (2023). The Naked Classroom: The Evolutionary Psychology of Your Time at School. Jolly Heretic Publications.
Why is that attractive female teacher having sex with the kid in Year 11 who’s really good at football? Why do the “special” kids literally look strange? Did you find science less than utterly captivating at school? Did you question the usefulness of learning Physics formulas off by heart or swotting up on the intricacies of wind pollination? If so, this is the book for you. In The Naked Classroom, Edward Dutton takes us back to school to teach us science in the way that it should have been taught. This is the science that your science teachers would have drilled you in, if they’d been brave enough: the evolutionary science of the school itself. Why are all the English teachers female? Why do boys tend to like science more than girls do? Pack your satchel, do up your tie in a jaunty fashion and follow Dutton on an evolutionary tour of your time at school.
We are in a war to secure our right to freely seek the empirical truth. This war is raging in all subjects, but perhaps more so in the areas dealing with the human condition. It is essential that we doubt the official line and respect nature and the search for empirical truth, for the survival and progress of our species, and for this reason I am proud to support this book.
Dr Mike McCulloch, Physicist.
20. Dutton, E. (2023). Breeding the Human Herd: Eugenics, Dysgenics and the Future of the Species. Perth: Imperium Press.
Progressive ideology has it that we have never been more moral, advanced and intelligent than we are today, but all objective signs point to a sharp decline in human genetic fittness over a period of centuries. The decline of memory, creativity, innovation, and even the rise of allergies tells us that our forebears were not our inferiors but our betters.
In Breeding the Human Herd, Edward Dutton brings together a massive body of data to explain the causes behind our dysgenic collapse. The picture he paints is stark one in which increasingly we not only can’t innovate, but can’t even maintain what we have – the implications for the future of civilization are clear. This landmark book is essential reading for any thinking person today.
“This is an excellent book which tells you all you need to know about the crucial, but absurdly taboo, subjects of dysgenics and eugenics.”
Prof. Richard Lynn, author of Eugenics: A Reassessment and Dysgenics: Genetic Deterioration in Modern Populations.
“an erudite account . . . a landmark book . . . “
David Ashton, Council of European Canadians.
“Rarely a book comes along that significantly changes how I view the world . . . Edward Dutton’s Breeding the Human Herd is just such a book . . . an ideal introduction to the topic of eugenics . . . admirably clear and engaging prose . . . Breeding the Human Herd is fascinating and thought provoking. Truly, only a spiteful mutant could dislike Edward Dutton and his book. Prove your genetic fitness and read Breeding the Human Herd today.”
Jeff Costello, American Renaissance.
19. Dutton, E. & Hilles, J.R. (2022). The Past is a Future Country: The Coming Conservative Demographic Revolution. Exeter: Imprint Academic.
Since the 1960s, the West has moved ever-leftwards. ‘Equality’ and ‘feelings’ are central to the New Religion that rejects all traditional values. Yet beneath the institutionally dominant ‘Left’ stews a growing and restless ‘Right.’ How has this fractured situation come about? What will the future hold?
In The Past is a Future Country, the authors trace it back to the Industrial Revolution. Darwinian selection massively weakened, meaning that, for the first time in history, the selfish, sick and stupid could survive and reproduce, undermining our religious, group-oriented culture. Now the West is scourged by an epidemic of narcissists, competing to signal their individuality and moral superiority. But their ‘fight for equality’ is really a fight for self-promotion. Reflecting this runaway individualism, Westerners increasingly don’t have children, save for those who are genetically resistant to this onslaught – the staunchly conservative and religious: the eventual inheritors of the earth.
But there is a dark storm brewing in the demographic data that the authors have analysed. There is a burgeoning growth in the population of exceptionally unintelligent and antisocial people that social welfare systems cannot sustain for much longer. The developed world will pass away, and the global population that depends on it will crash, in the greatest Malthusian Collapse of all time. Yet all is not lost. The authors show how a resistant class of intelligent, religious conservatives will band together to preserve enclaves of civilization that may survive most of the coming apocalypse, and from its ashes rebuild a new world: A Neo-Byzantium.
‘In every age there are a few with the courage to write freely. It is rare that they also have a great sense of humour, but in Prof. Dutton we have the whole package. In this bold and insightful book, Dutton and Rayner-Hilles argue that our civilisation is collapsing due to dysgenic demographics, but that refuges will emerge, like Byzantium from Rome. If you want to know where to escape to, then read this book!’
Dr Mike McCulloch, University of Plymouth
‘A stimulating, provocative and in-depth treatise. The Past is a Future Country is an exciting, shocking and thought-provoking book about a possible future of all of us. For all who are able to think outside the box.’
Prof. Heiner Rindermann, Technical University of Chemnitz, Germany
‘This is a thoroughly researched and thought-provoking book, packed with an abundance of ideas, predictions, and supporting data.’
Prof. Gerhard Meisenberg, Mankind Quarterly.
“The Past is a Future Country . . . is a ride filled with fascinating insights and predictions. Indeed, I cannot recall a more gripping book — perhaps because it reads like a plot-twisting prophecy albeit twinged with the science of demography and genetics.”
Bernard H. Smith, Occidental Observer.
18. Dutton, E. (2022). Spiteful Mutants: Sexuality, Religion and Politics in the 21st Century. Whitefish, MT: Radix
Every zombie movie has a terrifying underlying message. The enemy isn’t supernatural or an alien from another planet. “The enemy is . . . us!” The “undead”-mutated humans, grotesque versions of their previous selves-are destroying everything in their path and bringing about the downfall of civilization. Even worse, they are contagious, gradually absorbing the few survivors left into the hoard.
In Spiteful Mutants, evolutionary psychologist Edward Dutton argues that we are experiencing a “zombie apocalypse” of our own. The critical threat to civilization is not so much enemies abroad as it is nihilistic and self-destructive tendencies within our own populations. Dutton examines such salient social phenomena through a Darwinian lens: from BLM to QAnon; from those seeking sexual transformation to the Incels who don’t have sex at all; from atheists to those with a religious zeal for “social justice.” All these phenomena can best be understood as genetic results of the Industrial Revolution.
Human evolution is an ongoing process. The question of who we, as a species, will become is a matter of who is being selected for in a particular ecology. Before industrialization, child mortality was the crucible of evolution: those who were physically and mentally sick-that is, who possessed high levels of genetic mutation-rarely survived into adulthood. The Industrial Revolution, and resultant medical advances, brought about the collapse of child mortality, allowing the explosive growth of people who are highly mutated in body and mind, and who would not have otherwise survived. These mutants, walking among us, are “spiteful” in the sense that they actively affect the functioning of the group. They generate polarization and chaos, depravity and dysphoria, and even the gradual collapse of fertility. A new specter is haunting the industrialized world, the specter of Spiteful Mutants, a menace of our own making.
‘Spiteful Mutants is a ripping yarn, though a handsomely footnoted scientific one. The theories and hypotheses Dutton presents are fascinating. There is also a seductive meta-level lesson hidden in plain sight, Dutton’s orientation to adaptiveness; a survivalist Darwinian perspective. This level is valuable because until and unless opinion leaders return to biologically informed survivalism of the kind explored in Spiteful Mutants, the West will continue to decline.’
Dr Frank Salter, Formerly of the Max Planck Institute.
‘I warmly recommend it as an introduction to evolutionary thinking about cultural change, and to understand why Leftists promote mass immigration, the Floyd-Hoax-Black-Lives Matter riots, the mad rush to “transgenderism,” and the normalization of pedophilia.’
Dr. F. Roger Devlin, V-Dare.
17. Dutton, E. (2022). Sent Before Their Time: Genius, Charisma, and Being Born Prematurely. Melbourne: Manticore Press.
What do Sir Isaac Newton, Johannes Kepler and Buddha have in common? They were all born prematurely. Tiny, weak and brain-damaged, they very nearly didn’t survive. But, just about pulling-through, they went on to change the world. And so did Rousseau, Goethe and Moses, despite being born tiny and many months early. In Sent Before Their Time, Edward Dutton, who was born 3 months early himself, explores the massive and disproportionately high impact that people born prematurely or with low birth weight have had on world history. He shows that the mental characteristics caused by being born prematurely – being a ‘preemie’ – are precisely those that have always been associated with the heights of genius and of spell-binding charisma. And Dutton, whose analysis includes an eye-opening account of his own preemie childhood, presents an evolutionary theory for preterm birth, arguing that under the harsh Darwinian conditions that existed before the Industrial Revolution, the group with the optimum number of surviving preterm children – and, therefore, geniuses and inspiring people – would have been better able to win wars against other groups and, thus, triumph in the battle of Darwinian selection.
‘Already well known for generating interesting and fertile evolutionary hypotheses, Sent Before Their Time is Edward Dutton’s biggest and best idea yet.’
Dr Bruce Charlton, Reader in Evolutionary Psychiatry, Newcastle University and Visiting Professor of Theoretical Medicine, University of Buckingham.
16. Dutton, E. (2024). Witches, Feminism and the Fall of the West (Second Edition). Oulu: Jolly Heretic Publications.
The archetype of the ‘witch’ is burnt deep into the European psyche, recurring again and again in folklore and fairy tales. But is the witch merely the stuff of fantasy? Roald Dahl warned that witches don’t always don black hats and ride on broom sticks. They “dress in
ordinary clothes, and look very much like ordinary women. . . . That is why they are so hard to catch.” In Witches, Feminism and the Fall of the West, Edward Dutton examines the history of witches and witch-hunting in light of evolutionary psychology. Throughout the centuries, witches were ostracized across Europe and often condemned and executed for sorcery and harming children. They generally adhered to a type: witches were low-status, anti-social, and childless, and their very presence was viewed as poisonous to the
community. Dutton demonstrates that witches did, in their way, represent a maladaptive mentality and behavior, which undermined Europe’s patriarchal system. When times got tough—that is, when Europe got poorer or colder—the witches were persecuted with a vengeance.
Today, the evolutionary situation has been turned on its head. The intense selection pressures of the past have been overcome by the Industrial Revolution and its technological marvels. Modern witches survive and thrive in the postmodern West, still possessed by the motivations and dispositions of their sisters of yore. “Sorcery” (nihilism and self-hatred) is no longer taboo but has become a high-status ideology. Roald Dahl was
right. Witches do exist, and they mean to do us harm.
‘Starting from Roald Dahl’s warning that real witches look like ordinary women, wearing ordinary clothes and working in ordinary jobs; Edward Dutton dissects the stereotypical witch into her biological, evolutionary, psychological, social and demographic components. He then proceeds to show us that real witches are concealed among the Feminists – there displaying modern equivalents of characteristically witch-like motivations, attitudes, and behaviours. Witches, Feminism and the Fall of the West is classic Edward Dutton; shooting from the hip with a fusillade of detailed scholarship and witty mischief-making.’
Dr Bruce Charlton, Reader in Evolutionary Psychiatry, Newcastle University and Visiting Professor of Theoretical Medicine, University of Buckingham.
‘This is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding evolutionary psychology and the modern battle of the sexes we are experiencing today.’
Rachel Wilson, author of Occult Feminism: The Secret History of Women’s Liberation.
“Dutton is hardly the first person to notice the similarities between feminists and witches: it is favorite them of feminists themselves! . . . But Dutton’s new book Witches, Feminists and the Fall of the West is probably the first study to bring the best in evolutionary theory to bear on the question.”
Dr F. Roger Devlin, Vdare.com
“If you want more info on this topic and the historical connection between mythology, feminism, witches and their modern iterations you need this book.”
Robyn Riley, Youtuber and journalist
“If you really want to know why people are woke, read Dutton’s Witches, Feminism, and the Fall of the West and leave Peterson to the Midwits.”
The Z Man
Dutton, E. (2021). Witches, Feminism and the Fall of the West. Whitefish, MT: Radix.
15. Dutton, E. (2020). Making Sense of Race. Whitefish, MT: Washington Summit.
Race is our age’s great taboo. Public intellectuals insist that it does not exist-that it’s a “social construct” and biological differences between races are trivial or “skin deep.” But as with taboos in other times, our attitude towards race seems delusional and schizophrenic. Racial differences in sports and culture are clear to everyone. Race is increasingly a factor in public health, especially in disease susceptibility and organ donation. And in a globalized world, ethnic nationalism-and ethnic conflict-are unavoidable political realities. Race is everywhere . . . and yet it’s nowhere, since the topic has been deemed “out of bounds” for frank discussion.
Cutting through the contradictions, euphemisms, and misconceptions, Edward Dutton carefully and systematically refutes the arguments against the concept of “race,” demonstrating that it is as much a proper biological category as “species.” Making Sense of Race takes us on a journey through the fascinating world of evolved physical and mental racial differences, presenting us with the most up-to-date discoveries on the consistent ways in which races differ in significant traits as a result of being adapted to different ecologies. Intelligence, personality, genius, religiousness, sex appeal, puberty, menopause, ethnocentrism, ear-wax, and even the nature of dreams . . . Making Sense of Race will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about race, but might have been afraid to ask.
‘Edward Dutton’s new book, Making Sense of Race, is a godsend at a time when the university curriculum effectively censors human nature from much of the humanities and social sciences. This information, which comes wrapped in prodigious layers of data, is presented in a highly accessible, often funny, style. It should be required reading for all students of anthropology, sociology, gender studies, and politics. Those thirsting for knowledge about race-an inescapable and ever more destabilizing feature of our globalizing world -should dip into this Jolly Heretic of a book. Whether laughing out loud or marveling at new facts about human biodiversity, Making Sense of Race is a riveting read.’
Dr. Frank Salter, author of On Genetic Interests: Family, Ethnicity, and Humanity in an Age of Mass Migration.
‘An excellent up to date summary . . . it filled in many gaps for me . . . If we lived in a sane country, Ed’s little primer would be on the recommended-reading list for high-school seniors nationwide.’
John Derbyshire, VDare.
‘Dutton is an excellent author. Very readable. Complete. Best current summary available.’
Curt Doolittle, The Propertarian Institute.
‘This is horrifying.’
Dr Jessica Thompson, Assistant professor of Anthropology, Yale University.
‘If you want clarity on race/ethnicity, as opposed to wishful thinking, Edward Dutton (AKA the Jolly Heretic), is your man.’
Fergus Hodgson, Frontier Center for Public Policy.
‘a thoughtful book.’
Prof. J.E.R. Staddon, Duke University. Science in an Age of Unreason.
German Translation
Dutton, E. (2022). Und sie unterscheiden sich doch: Über die Rassen der Menschheit. Graz: Ares Verlag. Translated by Nils Wegner.
14. Dutton, E. (2024). Islam: An Evolutionary Perspective (Second Edition). Oulu: Jolly Heretic Publications.
An intellectual gap separates the Islamic world and the West. Muslim children under-perform on almost all educational measures, and the societies as a whole produce fewer scientific advances and cultural achievements. Evolutionary psychologist Edward Dutton argues that this is not just a matter of genetics, war, or politics. It stems from Islam itself. Holding to Islamic belief interferes with analytical and creative ways of thinking. Veiling, female circumcision, the Ramadan fast, polygamy, and even praying regularly does the same, leading to worse education systems, increased poverty, and less intellectual development.
That said, Islam has clear advantages. The Muslim practices that reduce cognitive ability also elevate ethnocentrism-in-group co-operation. And it is the more ethnocentric groups that win in the intense struggle of Darwinian selection. Thus, Dutton predicts that Islam will come to triumph over the West precisely because it reduces cognitive ability. This raises disturbing questions. Are there terminal disadvantages to developing cultures of high intelligence and individualism? Might the West need to adopt something akin to Islam, and become rather less thoughtful, in order to survive?
‘Edward Dutton is one of the liveliest and most engaging of this new generation of academic dissidents.’
John Derbyshire.
Dutton, E. (2020). Islam: An Evolutionary Perspective. Whitefish, MT: Washington Summit.
13. Dutton, E. (2019). Churchill’s Headmaster: The ‘Sadist’ Who Nearly Saved the British Empire. Melbourne: Manticore Press.
Winston Churchill is Britain’s national hero. His prep school headmaster was a sadist who almost ruined Churchill’s life. This first ever biography of Churchill’s headmaster pulls these myths apart. Churchill emerges as an intelligent and inspiring Narcissist who took Britain into a needless war, bankrupted it, lost its Empire and set off a process culminating in traditional British freedoms being lost and the country being Balkanized. Churchill’s headmaster fought for the traditional Britain which Churchill’s war was central to destroying. And as this book painstakingly documents, almost everything we think we know about Churchill’s prep school headmaster is wrong. Herbert Sneyd-Kynnersley was less sadistic and severe than many headmasters. His arrested development made him no different from a large minority of such men. His beatings did not exceed anything at Eton or at reform schools. Churchill was not taken out of his school because of these beatings. The sources providing the worst accounts of the headmaster are the least reliable. The collapse of the school was not due to rumours of Sneyd-Kynnersley’s brutality. Sneyd-Kynnersley was highly educated, contagiously enthusiastic, and intent on preserving a traditionalist Britain and making Churchill into a responsible leader of the Empire built on these traditions. If Churchill hadn’t been withdrawn from his school, then Britain would never have gone to war, may never have lost the Empire, and may never have descended into the nihilism and Balkanization we see today. This ‘sadistic’ headmaster came very close to saving the British Empire and Britain itself.
‘Churchill’s Headmaster is a superbly written and morbidly gripping investigation which meticulously shows that history should be much kinder to this supposed ‘perverted sadist’ and far more critical of his most famous pupil.’
Dr Sean Gabb, Author of The Churchill Memorandum. Western Orthodox University, Dominica.
‘Dutton’s rehabilitation of Sneyd-Kynnersley is persuasive . . . an engaging curiosity. I wish Edward Dutton success with the book, and I await with interest his investigations into the development of Boris Johnson’s personality and its effect on history.’
John Derbyshire, VDare.
‘Setting the record straight on another Churchill myth.’
Dr F. Roger Devlin, Occidental Observer.
‘Salvages the reputation of a man savaged by history.’
San Francisco Review of Books.
12. Dutton, E. (2019). Race Differences in Ethnocentrism. Budapest: Arktos.
September 2015 witnessed ‘The Great Migration.’ Over a million Africans and Arabs entered Europe, claiming to be fleeing war. Many Western European countries – at first at least – welcomed them with open arms. The countries of Eastern Europe reacted with horror at the prospect of accepting them as did countries in the Middle East and Far East. Why are some ethnic groups more ethnocentric than others? Why are some nations so much more welcoming to immigrants than others? Why do Europeans seem to be so low in ethnocentrism? This highly original book sets out to answer these crucial questions drawing on the latest scientific research. This is the first ever book to look at race differences in ethnocentrism as well as the first to survey the cutting edge genetic research on differences in ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism, Dutton concludes, is predicted by almost everything Europeans have abandoned: cousin marriage, religiousness, a small gene pool, high levels of infant mortality . . . And it finds that, eventually, the more ethnocentric groups almost always dominate . . .
‘Highly recommended.’
Prof. Kevin MacDonald, California State University at Long Beach
‘Dutton is a brilliant young researcher who has published some excellent work, of which this book is his latest example. It is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the reasons behind the apparent suicide of the European peoples.’
Prof. Richard Lynn, University of Ulster.
‘ . . . one of the most informative, formidable, pressing, intriguing, and poignant monographs I’ve read in years.’
Dr Andrew Joyce, Occidental Observer.
‘Edward Dutton has written another brilliant work on a taboo subject.’
John Jackson, American Renaissance.
‘. . . suggests intriguing avenues for further research . . . Dutton is one of the few who have boldly ventured into a part of the biological sciences that has turned into a political minefield.’
Aldric Hama, Mankind Quarterly.
11. Dutton, E. (2019). The Silent Rape Epidemic: How the Finns Were Groomed to Love Their Abusers. Oulu: Thomas Edward Press.
In 2003, the northern Finnish city of Oulu was what foreigners imagined such a city would be: calm, quiet and very ‘Finnish.’ By December 2018, the whole country was convulsed by Oulu’s Muslim Child Grooming Scandal. A gang of Arab ‘refugees’ were up in court for the sexual assault and rape of under age Oulu girls and it transpired that Finland’s politicians and mainstream media had done everything possible – guided by the divine light of Multiculturalism – to cover it up. How could a country like Finland – stereotyped as nationalistic and culturally conservative – have embraced the Multicultural suicide cult so rapidly? In The Silent Rape Epidemic, Dutton argues that the explanation lies in Finns’ evolutionary past. Adapted to extreme cold and predictability, they are fiercely intelligent, extraordinarily cooperative, highly rule following, silent, and socially anxious. This makes them naively trusting, conformist and prone to imitating others. Perfectly adapted to their environment, these traits are combined with a minuscule gene pool, meaning very few intelligence or personality outliers who might dare to challenge the Spirit of the Age. The intense Darwinian selection to which they’ve been subjected, and their late industrialization, has delayed the rise of nihilism, which arises when nations industrialize and selection pressures are weakened. But the nature of Finnishness means that Multiculturalism has now overwhelmed Finland with astonishing speed. However, all is not lost. Dutton finds that if the Finns truly want to save the Suomi of sauna and Sibelius, then they are, ironically, uniquely well-adapted to reverse their country’s destruction.
‘Fascinating . . . a quite excellent book.’
Prof. Kevin MacDonald
‘Evolutionary psychology researcher and anthropologist Edward Dutton, most recently the author of At Our Wits’ End: Why We’re Becoming Less Intelligent and What It Means for the Future, has just come out with another very interesting text. In The Silent Rape Epidemic, Dutton deals with his adopted nation of Finland, arguing that the evolutionary history of the Finns has made them uniquely vulnerable to multiculturalist ideology and its consequences, but also uniquely capable of reversing current trends.’
Counter-Currents.
‘An outstanding read . . . Dutton is a bright light in a darkening age. He seems to feel obliged to shed light into every corner, and he does an amazingly good job.’
San Francisco Review of Books.
‘This book has explained to me many mysteries regarding the Finnish people. I think I understand my people better than ever before.’
Kai Murros, Finnish Philosopher.
‘Finnishness is also an ideological fiction, not an innate characteristic of a clearly defined and homogeneous group of people . . . Dutton’s reasoning is not grounded in contemporary anthropological research, and its presentation as such is frustrating not only for the entire discipline, but also for humanity. Speech on multiculturalism threatens to demonize some people.’
AntroBlogi (Finnish Cultural Anthropology Website).
Finnish Translation:
Dutton. E. (2020). Suomen vaiennettu raiskausepidemia: Miten suomalaiset valjastettiin rakastamaan hyväksikäyttäjiään. Oulu: Thomas Edward Press. Translated by Saara Sarvivuori
10. Dutton, E. & Woodley of Menie, M.A. (2018). At Our Wits’ End: Why We’re Becoming Less Intelligent and What it Means for the Future. Exeter: Imprint Academic.
We are becoming less intelligent. This is the shocking yet fascinating message of At Our Wits’ End. The authors take us on a journey through the growing body of evidence that we are significantly less intelligent now than we were a hundred years ago. The research proving this is, at once, profoundly thought-provoking, highly controversial, and it’s currently only read by academics. But the authors are passionate that it cannot remain ensconced in the ivory tower any longer. With At Our Wits’ End, they present the first ever popular scientific book on this crucially important issue. They prove that intelligence — which is strongly genetic — was increasing up until the breakthrough of the Industrial Revolution, because we were subject to the rigors of Darwinian Selection, meaning that lots of surviving children was the preserve of the cleverest. But since then, they show, intelligence has gone into rapid decline, because large families are increasingly the preserve of the least intelligent. The book explores how this change has occurred and, crucially, what its consequences will be for the future. Can we find a way of reversing the decline of our IQ? Or will we witness the collapse of civilization and the rise of a new Dark Age?
‘Dutton and Woodley of Menie have written a fascinating account of the causes and implications of intelligence trends for human civilisation, and stress that our own shows symptoms of decline. The range of their learning and the clarity of their style will delight the reader.’
Prof. James R. Flynn, University of Otago.
‘A fascinating book that is by turns both witty and serious, almost as if it was written by a combination of Douglas Adams and Magnus Magnusson. This book is a great example of a high intellectual tradition that, in these draconian times, is extremely rare, and valuable. A fascinating presentation of the Darwinian forces molding the IQ of our society over thousands of years, backed up with data, where possible, and presented with illustrative humour and wit. I’d recommend it to anyone who wonders why everything seems to be getting worse.’
Dr. Mike McCulloch, University of Plymouth.
Graham H. Seibert, Amazon Top 500 Reviewer.
‘engages the reader from the outset.’
Dr Steve Hertler, Amazon.com
‘Scientifically rigorous and richly thought-provoking . . . (a) superb and powerful book covering a vast amount of ground with great clarity and honesty.’
Christopher Hart, The Salisbury Review.
Buy the book here.
French Translation:
Dutton, E. & Woodley of Menie, M.A. (2024). Le Crepuscule de L’Intelligence: L’Idiocratie en Marche. Lyon: Alba. Translated by Daniel Conversano.
German Translation:
Dutton, E. & Woodley of Menie, M.A. (2024). Mit Unserer Weisheit am Ende: Warum wir weniger intelligent werden und was dies für unsere Zukunft bedeutet. Lüdinghausen: Manuscriptum. Translated by Justus Sanger.
Japanese Translation:
知能低下の人類史: 忍び寄る現代文明クライシス. 春秋社- Translated by Kenya Kura.
Czech Translation:
Dutton, E. & Woodley of Menie, M.A. (2020). S rozumem v koncích: Proč se stáváme méně inteligentními a co to znamená pro budoucnost. Zvolen, Slovakia: Sol Noctis. Translated by Ivan Šebasta.
9. Dutton, E. (2018). J. Philippe Rushton: A Life History Perspective. Oulu: Thomas Edward Press.
In 1989, J. Philippe Rushton threw a grenade into the world of human biology. Rushton argued that the ‘three big races’ – Black, Caucasian, and East Asian – consistently differed in ‘Life History Strategy.’ Blacks had the fastest strategy. Adapted to unstable environments, they live fast and die young. East Asians had the slowest, investing in nurture; living for the future. Caucasians were intermediate. This grenade exploded into everything from a criminal investigation to a campaign to get Rushton fired.
What kind of person could conceive of and publicize such an original yet incendiary theory? Analyzing Rushton’s research and, for the first time, his life and ancestry, Dutton argues that Rushton himself – like many scientific geniuses – was a highly intelligent fast Life History Strategist. But Rushton’s Life History strategy was simply too fast for him to be the Galileo-figure that some scientists have portrayed him as. An archetypal Narcissist, Rushton attempted to manipulate people into supporting his model and cherry picked and dishonestly presented his findings. And among many other fast Life History strategy traits, Dutton explores Rushton’s dropping out of high school, his multiple divorces, his compulsive lying, his affairs, his two illegitimate children including one by a married black woman, and even his use of physical violence.
‘Dr Edward Dutton has written a brilliant ‘warts and all’ biography of John Philippe Rushton and a critical appraisal of his theory that the ‘three big races’ differ in Life History Strategy. Dr Dutton finds that there is some support for Rushton’s theory but also that it has too many flaws to be considered anything like a work of genius. A fascinating book.’
Prof Richard Lynn
‘Fascinating account of the life and personality of J. Philippe Rushton. Not at all what one would expect in a top-flight research scientist.’
Prof Kevin MacDonald, Twitter.
‘. . . a significant critical study . . . makes a significant contribution to our understanding both of Rushton and the matters he investigated.’
Dr. F. Roger Devlin, Occidental Observer
‘Dutton’s book is well worth reading both for the differentiated critique of Rushton’s version of life history theory and for the equally differentiated view he offers on Rushton’s life and his personality. Between hero worship by Rushton’s admirers and demonization by his detractors, Dutton’s sober description of the evidence is what we need, at a time when reason and Enlightenment values are under attack by extremists from both ends of the political spectrum.’
Prof. Gerhard Meisenberg, Mankind Quarterly.
David Becker, Technical University of Chemnitz, Germany. (Amazon.de).
8. Dutton, E. (2018). How to Judge People By What They Look Like. Oulu: Thomas Edward Press.
‘You can’t judge people by what they look like!’ It’s drummed into us as children and, as this book proves, it is utterly false. In this highly readable analysis of the academic research, Dutton shows that we are evolved to judge people’s psychology from what they look like, we can accurately work out people’s personality and intelligence from how they look, and (quite often) we have to if we want to survive. Body shape, hairiness, eye width, finger length, even how big a woman’s breasts are . . . Dutton shows that these, and much else, are windows into personality, intelligence, or both. Once you read How to Judge People by What They Look Like, you’ll never look at people the same again.’
‘Highly informative and entertaining’
Dr Bruce Charlton, Reader in Psychiatry, Newcastle University
‘This is a fascinating book on a topic that has generally been ignored in the research literature. Highly recommended.’
Dr F. Roger Devlin, Occidental Observer.
Turkish Translation:
Dutton, E. (2022). Neden İnsanları Dış Görünüşlerine Göre Yargılarız? Istanbul: Liberus. Translated by Ayşe Betül Kum.
7. Dutton, E. & Charlton, B. (2016). The Genius Famine: Why We Need Geniuses, Why They’re Dying Out and Why we Must Rescue Them. Buckingham: University of Buckingham Press.
Geniuses are rare and exceptional people; but the great ideas, discoveries and inventions of human history, which have allowed the development of civilization itself, were the products of geniuses.
The Genius Famine finds that a genius combines extremely high intelligence with a unworldly, intuitive personality. Geniuses will seldom fit-into normal society, they will seldom want to. And we shouldn’t want them to, because it is their unusual and socially-difficult nature which drives geniuses to come up with original ideas, and solutions to otherwise unsolvable problems. But modern society has been hit by a genius famine. There are ever-fewer geniuses and, to make matters worse, modern society has become actively hostile to those few geniuses we still have.
The Genius Famine explores the nature of genius, why the genius famine has happened, how the famine will lead to the decline of civilization, and what we can and should do to overcome it.
‘The Genius Famine ranks as essential reading for anyone concerned with the fall of civilization and how to resurrect it. Expertly written, in a seemingly offhand but intensely analytical style, it does not grow old or slow as a reading experience but instead offers new revelations on nearly every page.’
Brett Stevens, Amerika.
6. Dutton, E. (2015). The Ruler of Cheshire: Sir Piers Dutton, Tudor Gangland and the Violent Politics of the Palatine. Northwich: Leonie Press.
Beyond the control of the crown, Early Tudor Cheshire was a lawless gangland in which warring magnates battled for power. None were more ruthless than Sir Piers Dutton. Friend of Henry VIII’s chief minister Thomas Cromwell, trusted servant of the king, and son of one of Cheshire’s most influential families, Dutton drew upon a combination of cut-throat guile, carefully cultivated connections, and pure good luck to destroy his enemies and dominate the county palatine.
The Ruler of Cheshire is a story of gang warfare, rampant corruption, violent vendettas, power politics, and murder. It traces the rise of Sir Piers Dutton from wayward youth languishing in Chester jail, to trusted courtier, High Sheriff of Cheshire, scourge of the king’s enemies, and figure so powerful that his rivals conceded that he could do as he wished in Cheshire and there was nothing anybody could do about it.
The first detailed biography of an Early Tudor local magnate, The Ruler of Cheshire makes a vital contribution to Gentry Studies as well as bringing to life one of Tudor Cheshire’s most fascinating and unscrupulous characters.
‘A fact-filled, hard-hitting, authoritative study which is thoroughly researched, well-written and skilfully winds Sir Piers Dutton’s life into the history and fabric of Cheshire and England in the early sixteenth century. This is not just a book about a particular aspect of Cheshire’s history, it is an important study into English social history and one that anyone with an interest in Cheshire ought to read.’
Tony Bostock, Former Chairman of Cheshire Local History Association.
‘well-researched and drawing upon an impressively wide range of primary and secondary sources . . . This is a sound and thorough study of the character and actions of a major player in early Tudor history . . . this is an interesting tale, well told, which makes an important contribution to the historiography of the county.’
Jonathan Pepler, Cheshire History.
‘fascinating book . . . This is an eye-opening episode of Cheshire history, crisply recounted.’
Cheshire Life
‘(Dutton) explores the extraordinary life of the man whose enemies admitted he could do as he wished in Cheshire as the de facto ruler of the country palatine’.
Chester Chronicle
‘an extraordinary story.’
Northwich Guardian.
‘well researched and fact filled . . . giving a real insight into English social history.’
Family Tree Magazine.
Buy a hard copy here.
5. Dutton, E. & Lynn, R. (2015). Race and Sport: Evolution and Racial Differences in Sporting Ability. London: Ulster Institute for Social Research.
This study examines the relationship between race and sport and argues that races differ in achievement in various sports in part for genetic reasons. The adaptation of different races to varied environments provides them with a number of physical and psychological advantages and disadvantages in relation to each other in various sports. Differing levels of racial accomplishment in sports requiring different physical and psychological abilities reflect these adaptations.
The authors provide definitions of the terms “sport” and “race”, show that sporting ability is partly genetic, and examine racial differences in physical adaptations in relation to differences in ability in various sports. They also discuss how racial genetic differences in intelligence and personality relate to sporting ability, and look at the effect of environmental and sociological factors. Data is presented on a wide range of team and individual sports, showing that their racial profile is as racial differences in physical and mental ability would predict.
‘Reading this book was probably the first time ever in my life that I’ve been engrossed in the topic of sports!’ HBD Chick
‘. . . will give the idealistic and ignoracist prophets of postmodern hermeneuticist ‘cultural’ Marxism plenty to ponder.’
Dr Chris Brand, formerly of Edinburgh University, Mankind Quarterly.
‘compelling analysis.’
Dr Frank Ellis, formerly of Leeds University, Quarterly Review.
Russian Translation:
Эдвард Даттон & Ричард Линн. (2018). Раса и спорт. Эволюция и расовые различия спортивных способностей. Ozon.ru. Translated by D. O. Rumjanceva.
4. Dutton, E. (2014). Religion and Intelligence: An Evolutionary Analysis, London: Ulster Institute for Social Research.
In this comprehensive review of research on the relationship between intelligence and religion, Edward Dutton conclusively demonstrates that the more intelligent are less religious than the less intelligent both within countries and across the world. He also shows that intelligence is negatively associated with other ideologies, including Marxism and Romantic nationalism, which he argues are comparable to religions. The paradox that some highly intelligent people are religious is explained by personality factors.
“Edward Dutton’s masterful analysis shows that Sir James Frazer and Richard Dawkins were right in arguing that people with high IQs are generally agnostic or atheists.”
Prof. Richard Lynn, Emeritus Professor of Psychology, University of Ulster, Coleraine
“Dr Dutton is to be commended for his extensive research and his temerity.”
Dr Leslie Jones, Quarterly Review.
‘ . . . this reviewer enjoyed this book very much . . . definitely worth the effort . . . the contents are highly important . . . ‘
Dr Kenya Kura, Gifu Shotoku University, Japan, in Mankind Quarterly.
3. Dutton, E. (2012). Culture Shock and Multiculturalism, Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
It used to be widely accepted amongst anthropologists that when they did fieldwork with foreign cultures they experienced something called ‘culture shock.’ This book argues that ‘culture shock’ is a useful model for understanding an important part of human experience. However, in its most widely-known form, the stage model, ‘culture shock’ has been heavily influenced by the same anti-science, latter-day religiosity that has become so influential more broadly: Multiculturalism. This book examines culture shock through the model of ‘religion.’ It will show how the most well-known model of culture shock – so popular amongst business consultants, expatriates, international students and travelers – has become a means of promoting and sustaining this replacement religion which includes everything from dogmatism and fervour to conversion experience. By so doing, it will aim both to better understand culture shock and to show how it can still be useful, if divorced from its implicitly religious dimensions, to broadly scientific scholars. It will also suggest how anthropology itself might be stripped of its ideological infiltration and returned to the realm of science.
‘If you enjoy spotting the dishonesties, inconsistencies, and other irrationalities in what passes for thought these days, you’ll appreciate Edward Dutton’s new book. In Culture Shock and Multiculturalism Dutton presents a defence of rationality and, relatedly, a call for truth . . . As an allegory for much that is wrong with anthropology (Culture Shock) is a salutary lesson and one that extends far beyond academic anthropology.’
– Dr A. R. Kneen, Cambridge University, Quarterly Review.
‘examines questions which are extremely important to all those conducting scientific research.’
Prof. Ulrika Wolf-Knuts, Åbo Akademi, Finland.
2. Dutton, E. (2009). The Finnuit: Finnish Culture and the Religion of Uniqueness. Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó.
‘Finland has a unique culture.’ This is uncritically accepted by many ordinary Finns, travel writers and even foreign and Finnish academics. Why is Finnish culture accepted as being unique? What do people really mean when they term Finnish culture as ‘unique’? Is Finnish culture really a mystery – an enigma, beyond comparison; something that can never ‘make sense’? In The Finnuit, Edward Dutton reveals Finnish ‘uniqueness’ to be a religious dogma. It reflects the modern-day religions of Romantic nationalism and its cousin Cultural Relativism which turn disempowered cultures into mysterious gods to be worshipped and awed at. And Dutton argues that Finnish culture can be ‘understood’ – like anything – through comparison. Drawing upon detailed fieldwork, he finds that Finnish culture makes sense as a diluted Greenland – the world’s most advanced Arctic culture.
‘This book is definitely a thought-provoking read and it challenges ways of thinking about Finns and Finland.’
Dr Linda Hart, Suomen Antropologi: Journal of the Finnish Anthropological Society
‘Sharp analysis.’
Ilta-Sanomat
‘Cliches about Finnish culture become science.’
Helsingin Sanomat
‘A firebomb . . . sure to raise worthy debate . . . too exciting to just be swept under the carpet.’
Vasabladet
‘Finnishness under the magnifying glass.’
Kaleva
1. Dutton, E. (2008). Meeting Jesus at University: Rites of Passage and Student Evangelicals. Aldershot: Ashgate. Routledge (2016).
How does university turn students into who they become? Why are student evangelicals such a significant and controversial force at so many universities? In many countries, university has become the main Rite of Passage between the child and adult worlds. University can be enjoyable and fascinating but also life-changing and traumatic. And at the exact time when a student’s identity is the most challenged and uncertain, student evangelical groups are highly organised on many university campuses to offer students a powerful identity so that the world makes sense once again. For some, these groups will protect them from the university’s assault on their faith. For others, they will challenge and even change who they are. Meeting Jesus at University explores universities in six countries. Drawing upon detailed fieldwork, it examines the largest student evangelical group at each university in order to understand in depth the relationship between the student evangelical group and the university which it aims to convert. Meeting Jesus at University offers an original contribution to the discussion of Rites of Passage, examining what is experienced at university and how university breaks down and remoulds young people. It explores why student evangelicals are so active, particularly at Britain and America’s most prestigious and identity-challenging institutions meaning that students at these places are the most likely to find themselves meeting Jesus at university.
‘ . . . certainly makes some fascinating reading . . . if the mark of a good book is that it raises as many questions as it answers, this undoubtedly qualifies and, as a result, I would recommend it to anyone engaged or interested in the field of student ministry’
Dr Samuel Gibson, Birmingham University, Modern Believing.
‘ . . . this is a succinct, direct, competent, carefully argued, suitably documented and cogent study combining a personal voice, concrete detail and overarching theory fluently and effectively.’
Prof. John Sullivan, Liverpool Hope University, Heythrop Journal.
‘This is a fascinating social anthropological account of a little explored area . . . well worth the read.’
Dr Chris Williams, Journal of Education and Christian Belief.
‘(Dutton’s) conclusions are set out with careful analysis, but his main argument is one that makes intuitive as well as scholarly sense….One thing that makes this book so valuable is its comparative nature; another is its detached and measured approach. It will be useful to those ministering in a higher-education institution, but also to everyone who wants to understand the relationship between religious organisations and the societies in which they operate.’
Rev’d Dr Calley Hammond, Cambridge University, Church Times.
… absorbing, highly readable and long overdue study… Dutton delicately dissects out the differences between the various universities he has studied, speculating intelligently and realistically about the reasons for the differences… most enlightening… No end of fascinating theses can be built on [Dutton’s observations].’
His Honour Judge Charles Foster, Oxford University, Contemporary Review.