Eugenicism also called Social Darwinism and Galtonianism is a political ideology which seeks to shape public policy in accordance with the field of eugenics. Eugenics being the now discredited field of science (pseudoscience) which claims to be the 'study of good genes'. Eugenics takes influence from the Darwinian theory of evolution, which states that organisms develop to better suit a given environment through the gradual dying of organisms that are unsuited to the environment before they can reproduce and applies them to Humans; this is done by selecting traits which are 'desirable' and artificially adjusting the environment to either maximise the reproduction of those with those traits (positive eugenics) or minimising the reproduction of those with undesirable traits (negative eugenics).
Doctrine
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History
Proto-Eugenics
Early forms of Eugenics were practiced for millenia, with some cultures (such as Athens, Sparta, Indigenous Peoples of Brazil and Rome) letting children who were considered to be defect be killed (infanticide). The philosopher Plato advocated for the state to control the reproduction of human beings.[1][2]
19th and early 20th Century
The term 'Eugenics' and 'Dysgenics' were coined by the English polymath Sir Francis Galton in the 1860's after reading Charles Darwin's On The Origin of Species.[3]
Nazi Eugenics
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Discrediting
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Modern Eugenics
With the development of technologies which allow for more effective forms of genetic engineering the interest in the revival of eugenics has picked up steam in certain circles, including some transhumanist circles.
Relationships
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Further Information
Books
- Hereditary Talent and Character and Hereditary Genius by Sir Francis Galton
Wikipedia
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Videos
Citations
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Republic, Book 6, Plato
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Eugenics, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Correspondance between Charles Darwin and Francis Galton