Arguments Against Eugenics
Who decides who is perfect, normal, and genetically acceptable? The argument of for Eugenics is a widely debated topic that has been going on since as early as 4th Century B.C., when Plato suggested a state-run program to control mating in order to strengthen what Plato considered as the Guardian Class (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2014). Historically, Eugenics has been at the root of several movements to ensure a better human race, throughout a wide variety of cultures. How Eugenics is pursued is decided by the individual and his or her purpose for applying Eugenics. Eugenics has various applications that include anything from medical science to war. The question is whether or not mankind has ‘crossed the line’ with Eugenics allowing
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With the desire to create this flawless human population, Eugenics gained proponents whom the world deemed as some of the greatest and most admires thinkers in western civilization. Some of the well-known supporters were US President Teddy Roosevelt, John Maynard Keynes, US President Woodrow Wilson, Alexander Graham Bell, George Bernard Shaw, H.G. Wells, Margaret Sanger (founder of Planned Parenthood), Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, and foundations connected to the Rockefellers, Harrimans, and Carnegies (Intellectural TakeOut, 2015; Wikipedia, 2015). Considered as the worst human monsters to ever walk the earth, Adolf Hilter and his Third Reich, which showed no remorse or mercy but just a purging of what they considered undesirable, were probably the greatest recognized advocates for Eugenics (Currell, Susan, 2006). How can the purging of certain undesirable traits be humane, when in reality, it’s the purging of human life …show more content…
The term has been referred to as prenatal care for mothers or forced sterilization or euthanasia. The term was used in concept of avoiding inbreeding. Eugenics has been called a Pseudoscience because it refers to genetic improvement of a desired trait through cultural choice. The most controversial aspect of Eugenics is the concept that Eugenics is the improvement of the human gene pool resulting in scientific racism (de Araujo, Emily, and Lucia Sommer, 2015). In 1904, Steel magnate Andrew Carnegie established a center to study the effects of racial mixtures. In 1906, the American Breeders Association formed a committee on Eu-Genetics. Their emphasis was on the value of ‘superior blood’. Multiple wealthy American families established foundations and societies to better the human race. In 1919, the first birth control movement through what became known as ‘Planned Parenthood’ began to promote “more children from the fit and less from the unfit” (de Araujo-Sommer
With the desire to create this flawless human population, Eugenics gained proponents whom the world deemed as some of the greatest and most admires thinkers in western civilization. Some of the well-known supporters were US President Teddy Roosevelt, John Maynard Keynes, US President Woodrow Wilson, Alexander Graham Bell, George Bernard Shaw, H.G. Wells, Margaret Sanger (founder of Planned Parenthood), Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, and foundations connected to the Rockefellers, Harrimans, and Carnegies (Intellectural TakeOut, 2015; Wikipedia, 2015). Considered as the worst human monsters to ever walk the earth, Adolf Hilter and his Third Reich, which showed no remorse or mercy but just a purging of what they considered undesirable, were probably the greatest recognized advocates for Eugenics (Currell, Susan, 2006). How can the purging of certain undesirable traits be humane, when in reality, it’s the purging of human life …show more content…
The term has been referred to as prenatal care for mothers or forced sterilization or euthanasia. The term was used in concept of avoiding inbreeding. Eugenics has been called a Pseudoscience because it refers to genetic improvement of a desired trait through cultural choice. The most controversial aspect of Eugenics is the concept that Eugenics is the improvement of the human gene pool resulting in scientific racism (de Araujo, Emily, and Lucia Sommer, 2015). In 1904, Steel magnate Andrew Carnegie established a center to study the effects of racial mixtures. In 1906, the American Breeders Association formed a committee on Eu-Genetics. Their emphasis was on the value of ‘superior blood’. Multiple wealthy American families established foundations and societies to better the human race. In 1919, the first birth control movement through what became known as ‘Planned Parenthood’ began to promote “more children from the fit and less from the unfit” (de Araujo-Sommer