Introduction
It is important to note that many scientific achievements have brought numerous benefits to humanity. Still, they also caused harm on different scales, and such was the case with evolution and genetics. Eugenics is an ideologically rooted pseudoscience popularized in the early 20th century, which sought to perfect humans utilizing genetics, heredity, and selective breeding. Eugenics can be considered a form of scientific racism, where greater value is presented to members of a specific race and ethnicity over others. Therefore, the immorality of eugenics stems from its race-based ideology, genocidal aspirations, and the lack of scientific basis exemplified by its misunderstanding of genetic diversity.
Discussion
Eugenics gained success in the 20th century due to its ideology, which was attractive to a large part of the public and politicians. It was aimed at people considered unfit in society and, among other things, is based on scientific racism. Following the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), scientific racism manipulates scientific arguments to prove white supremacy (para. 7). In the US, for example, eugenics was supported by the legacy of slavery and fear of immigrants (NHGRI para. 17). The ideology was so influential and favorable for a dominant elite that it became part of politics in the states and spread to other marginalized groups, such as individuals with disabilities (Sear 202). As a result, eugenics was biased and justified prejudices, which prevailed in society and therefore received such support. Moreover, it is critical to consider that society is changing as well as qualities that are considered the most valuable, which indicates the uselessness of eugenics.
Eugenic biases, fueled by personal hostility towards some groups of people, led to genocide. In particular, Adolf Hitler’s belief that non-Aryan races were inferior became the reason for the genocide of the Jews during World War II (Eugenics para. 19-20). At the same time, eugenics does not have a scientific base, which only emphasizes its ideological and violent nature. The assumptions of the founder of eugenics Francis Galton about the simple transition of various features with inheritance are false (Sear 203). Moreover, some highlighted characteristics, for instance, a tendency to crime, are not clear enough. Other features, like intelligence, can be justified by genetics, but they are more complex in inheritance (Sear 203). Modern science proves that human traits can be influenced by many genes and environmental impact, while genes can also have multiple expressions (Sear 203). As a result, by their actions on sterilization and selective reproduction, eugenics could not achieve their own goals.
Conclusion
Thus, eugenics was aimed at destroying marginalized groups, which were considered unsuitable for society, and it had no solid scientific grounds. Its popularity was due to convenience for groups dominant in society, which led to eugenics becoming part of politics. Such features give reason to consider it an ideology, not a scientific theory. The extremely adverse manifestation of eugenics was the genocide of non-Aryan peoples during World War II, which emphasizes the immorality of its measures.
Works Cited
“Eugenics.” History.com, Web.
National Human Genome Research Institute. “Eugenics and Scientific Racism.” National Institute of Health, Web.
Sear, Rebecca. “Demography and the Rise, Apparent Fall, and Resurgence of Eugenics.” Population Studies, vol. 75, no. s1, 2021, pp. 201-220. Web.