The Lucifer Principle is a 1995 book by American author Howard Bloom, in which he argues that social groups, not individuals, are the primary "unit of selection" on genes and human psychological development.

Bloom "explores the intricate relationships among genetics, human behavior, and culture" and argues that "evil is a by-product of nature's strategies for creation and that it is woven into our most basic biological fabric".

In the book, Bloom writes: "Superorganism, ideas and the pecking order...these are the primary forces behind much of human creativity and earthly good."

Reviews of the book[3] saw it as "ambitious" and "disturbing" in its conclusions that societies based on individual freedom might succumb to systems such as bureaucratic Communism or Islamic fundamentalism.

He draws on a dozen years of research into a jungle of scholarly fields...and meticulously supports every bit of information...."[citation needed] while Chet Raymo in The Boston Globe termed it "a string of rhetorical firecrackers that challenge our many forms of self-righteousness".