Your theory does not seem to have a firm grasp of the theory of evolution. In order for evolution to 'select' a trait it must be doing so at the cost of letting other traits die out over time. In general this tends to mean that a trait that is lost over time must be mutually exclusive to a trait that is being actively selected for. For example is there is an evolutionary advantage to intelligence then the theory of evolution would say that over time intelligent animals survive and dumb ones get killed. In order for your assertion to make any sense you would need to be arguing that somehow 'degeneracy' make an individual less likely to breed than a 'intelligent' person. Your assertion assumes that the traits are exclusive; that a degenerate cannot be smart and that a smart person will not be a degenerate. I feel that these are both poor assumptions. I know highly intelligent degenerates and in my experience degenerates breed at a higher rate than rocket scientists. In short, 'degeneracy' does not increase the chances of dying before procreation.