Eugenics
The eugenics movement first became known in the late twentieth century. Francis Galton, a distant relative of Charles Darwin, was the first man to define eugenics as a way to improve the human race by allowing the fit, healthy humans to reproduce more often and the humans with less desired traits were discouraged from reproducing. People possessing the desired traits were wealthy white males with no trace of mental illness in past generations; white women were second after that. Minority groups were considered inferior and found to have undesired traits. Undesirable traits were found in people who have had a history of mental illness in the family, lived in poverty, and had something called "feeblemindedness" (Carlson 1). Feeblemindedness was defined as an individual that has no sign of intelligence and they cannot think for themselves. According to Gould, scientists before the eugenics movement thought that that a person's intelligence depended on the size of their brain (1980). This began the idea that bigger is better and more advantageous to an individual; in other words, the fittest will survive. Charles Darwin and his theory of Natural Selection became the basis of the eugenics movement. The development of this new
Why do some organisms of the same species survive longer than others? According to Carlson, it was found that the wealthiest male humans in a competent mental state are the most "fit" to live. Positive eugenics, which was supported by Francis Galton, is the act of promoting reproduction among the fit, desired humans to reproduce fit offspring. Darwin proposed his theory under the impression that selection was done naturally. After the Bolshevik revolution in Russia in 1917, the wealthy classes did not want to take any chances that a revolution such as that could happen in the United States. The diseased and impoverished population was growing at a rapid pace. As disagreeable as it may sound to Darwin, it was a part of our history that was in fact influenced by Darwin's findings. Negative eugenics was developed by the initial followers of positive eugenics, but later branched off and based its purpose on preventing the unfit, undesired humans from reproducing more inferior offspring (Carlson 1). When Darwin first thought of his evolutionary ideas, he probably would not have guessed that future scientists would use his theories to prove that certain types of humans were inferior. Genetics had the same kind of effect on the development of eugenics. The purpose of the newly developed science of eugenics was to have only the fit reproduce and pass on their genes to future generations in the hope that the purest of the species will successfully continue the human race. The idea of separating people into categories depending on the purity of their genes formed two branches of eugenics, positive and negative. Each person was categorized into a group depending on their genetic characteristics. Charles Darwin's discoveries on the Galapagos Islands that helped bring about the theory of Natural Selection contributed greatly to the eugenics movement. According to Gould from his piece called "Wide Hats and Narrow Minds", the intelligent French biologist named Cuvier passed away and scientists became interested in whether or not the size of the brain had anything to do with a person's intelligence. To make sense of this, people began to use scientific evidence to explain their social corruptions.
Common topics in this essay:
Francis Galton,
United Sterilization,
Natural Selection,
Charles Darwin,
Narrow Minds,
Industrial Revolution,
According Carlson,
According Gould,
,
Galapagos Islands,
eugenics movement,
natural selection,
human race,
hope purest species,
reproduce pass genes,
reproduce pass,
pass genes,
future generations,
genes future,
eugenics fit,
fit reproduce,
pass genes future,
genes future generations,
generations hope,
generations hope purest,
|
Acceptance Essays
