3 ms·

If so, you don't have to execute a lot of them to affect the murder rates!

• pfdietz 10mo ago
  The question wasn't changing the murder rate now, but changing "the population over a few centuries". If it doesn't change the population genetics significantly it won't do that.
  • BurningFrog 10mo ago
    If 1% of men are potential murderers, and we execute 10% of them in each generation, it will have huge a impact on the murder rate over a few centuries, even though not a lot of people got executed, and the overall genetics of the population hasn't changed much.
    • pfdietz 10mo ago
      Well, no, that presumes "murderosity" is due to rare genes concentrated in murderers, not unfortunate combinations of genes widely spread in the population. Experience with "disease genes" has been they mostly of the latter type, with each gene having a minor effect.
      • BurningFrog 10mo ago
        The rate of the effect is probably unknowable. I think we agree that it exists.