Eugenics

The Dark Legacy of Eugenics: A Historical Perspective 

"Human beings are ultimately nothing but carriers—passageways—for genes. They ride us into the ground like racehorses from generation to generation. Genes don’t think about what constitutes good or evil. They don’t care whether we are happy or unhappy. We’re just means to an end for them. The only thing they think about is what is most efficient for them." 

—Haruki Murakami 

In 1883, Francis Galton, a cousin of Charles Darwin and a staunch believer in natural selection, introduced a concept that would leave an indelible mark on human history—eugenics, or the idea of improving the human race by selective breeding. Inspired by Darwin’s The Origin of Species, Galton theorized that if nature could evolve the fittest and best-suited individuals, then humans could refine this process artificially. He published Inquiries into Human Faculty and Its Development, advocating for the deliberate selection of superior traits to create a stronger, more intelligent population. 

The study of heredity took a significant leap in 1900 when English biologist William Bateson encountered Gregor Mendel’s work on genetic inheritance. He recognized that genes could be manipulated similarly to how humans refine gold—selecting desirable traits and eliminating perceived flaws. While this discovery opened new avenues in genetics, it also laid the foundation for eugenics to be weaponized by governments for their own agendas. 

The Rise of Eugenics in the 20th Century 

By 1912, a year after Galton’s death, eugenics gained momentum with the first International Eugenics Conference in London. Among the most striking presentations came from American and German delegates, whose proposals stunned and unsettled the audience. While America was the first to institutionalize eugenics policies, Germany soon followed, leading to catastrophic consequences. 

Eugenics is distinct from modern genetic engineering. While today’s genetic research reveals the immense complexity of DNA—showing that genes are interconnected in intricate ways—early eugenicists wrongly assumed that traits like intelligence and criminality were inherited in a simplistic manner. They believed undesirable characteristics could be eradicated by selective breeding, an idea that led to widespread human rights violations. 

In 1896, the state of Connecticut passed a law prohibiting people with epilepsy or intellectual disabilities from marrying. In 1902, Charles Davenport, a professor of zoology at the University of Chicago, sought funding from the Carnegie Institution to study heredity. By 1910, he established the Eugenics Record Office, backed by philanthropists such as E.H. Harriman and John Harvey Kellogg. The office’s research—based on biased assumptions rather than rigorous science—concluded that the so-called "unfit" were largely immigrants, the poor, and racial minorities. 

Sterilization and Forced Eugenics Policies 

The United States soon implemented eugenics-driven sterilization programs targeting individuals deemed "unfit"—including epileptics, criminals, and the disabled. Thousands of forced sterilizations were carried out under these policies. One of the most infamous cases was that of Carrie Buck, a young woman institutionalized at the Virginia State Colony for the Feebleminded. In the 1927 Supreme Court case Buck v. Bell, the court ruled 8-1 in favor of sterilization, with Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes infamously stating, "Three generations of imbeciles are enough." 

Over the next few decades, more than 60,000 people were sterilized in the United States. This practice influenced Nazi Germany, where Adolf Hitler’s regime took eugenics to an extreme, leading to mass sterilizations, euthanasia programs, and ultimately, the Holocaust. What had begun as a supposed scientific effort to improve humanity became a justification for some of the worst atrocities in history. 

The Ethical Reckoning 

The horrors of eugenics serve as a grim reminder of how science can be misused when detached from ethics and human rights. Today, while genetic research has advanced significantly, society continues to grapple with ethical dilemmas in gene editing and reproductive technologies. 

As humans, we possess the unique gift of consciousness—the ability to reflect on our actions and their consequences. Whether one views consciousness as a product of evolution or a divine gift, it ultimately offers us a choice: to use our knowledge for the betterment of humanity or to repeat the mistakes of the past. The history of eugenics underscores the importance of ensuring that scientific advancements serve humanity rather than subjugate it.