Atavism Isn’t the Answer

Seed oils, raw milk, carnivore diets, tradwives, phone bans, anti-sunscreen, cold plunges—these look like separate cultural phenomena across health, diet, gender, and technology. They’re all the same pattern: the same two faulty assumptions, the same Just So Story template, the same political movement. The yearnings are real. The reasoning isn’t. Rather read? I also made this episode into an article: https://btr.mt/analects/atavism-isnt-the-answer-lecture And the piece it’s based on: https://btr.mt/analects/atavism-isnt-the-answer. Stuff I mentioned: The Betterment article that inspired this Evolution is Overrated All Food is Toxic Hydraulic Despotism Nature vs Nurture Just Isn’t That Interesting Tinbergen’s Four Questions Education is Entertainment: on why some ideas stick Mundane Cults MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) on Wikipedia Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wikipedia Butter and Plant-Based Oils Intake and Mortality, JAMA Internal Medicine (2025) The Evidence Behind Seed Oils’ Health Effects, Johns Hopkins (2025) Paul Saladino, The Carnivore Code Jonathan Haidt, The Anxious Generation Candice Odgers, Nature review on smartphones and mental health Ferguson (2025): Do Social Media Experiments Prove a Link With Mental Health: A Methodological and Meta-Analytic Review Liver King on Wikipedia Andrew Huberman on Wikipedia Ballerina Farm / Hannah Neeleman on Wikipedia Tradwife on Wikipedia Tradwife: Between Myths and Realities, King’s College London Global Institute for Women’s Leadership MAHA, Means, Money, Public Citizen report on MAHA and wellness industry revenue Mundane Cults The trap of scientific evidence