Eugenics: a dangerous dream of a perfect human being
Eugenics (eugenics) is a social philosophical and political movement that was once seen as a front-line science that advocates the improvement of the genetic quality of human groups through selective “breeding”. The term is derived from greek and means “good birth”. From the very beginning of its existence, it had promised the future of a utopian state free from genetic diseases, crime and poverty in the guise of science, progress and reason. However, this seemingly beautiful ideal evolved into a global social experiment in the twentieth century, ultimately paving the way for the darkest chapter of human history in its most extreme form. It is a story of hope, arrogance and tragedy, a profound parable that warns us of the boundaries of science and ethics。
An ancient embryo of thought
The idea of eugenics is much older than the word eugenics. It lies deep in the memory of human civilization and is as old as our history of domestication of plants and animals. For thousands of years, our ancestors have been excellent breeders. They know that if more crops are to be produced, the most abundant grains must be selected as seeds, and if they are to be stronger, the best horses and horses must mate. This simple knowledge of genetic patterns is almost an instinct of agricultural civilization. From wheat fields in mesopotamia to cattle bars in ancient egypt, human beings have been proactively screening and shaping the living world around them to meet their needs. For the first time, this idea was transferred from plants and animals to humans themselves, dating back to ancient greek philosophers. Plato, in his immortal book the ideal state, conceived a city ruled by a class of “guardians”. In order to ensure the purity and excellence of this class, plato argued that the marriage and reproduction of the guardian should be strictly controlled by the city state. “the best men and women must be joined as many as possible, while the worst men and women must be joined as few as possible”, and their descendants should be screened and only the best can be raised as adults. Of course, in plato's era, it was just a philosophical thinking, an intellectual experiment to construct an ideal society. It lacks the theoretical basis and technical means to achieve it, more like a utopian blueprint floating in the air. However, this embryo, which “controls individual reproduction for the collective good”, has been implanted in the soil of western thought, waiting for the right moment to break out of the ground under the catalyst of science。
The birth and naming of “science”
That was the right time to appear in the 19th century of britain, an era completely changed by the steam and evolution of the industrial revolution. In 1859, charles darwin published origin of species, and the theories of “natural choice” and “survival of the fittest” were like a bomb of thought, which subverted traditional perceptions of the world of life. Darwin's cousin francis galton, a genius obsessed with measurements and statistics, has captured the enormous potential of this theory in human society. Gordon observed that in the british society of the victorian era, remarkable talent often seemed to be concentrated among a few families — his own darwin-wedgwood family, for example. He thus assumes that intellectual, moral and even social status, like hair colour and height, can be inherited. If nature has relentlessly eliminated the discomfort through its “natural choice”, why can human beings not use their wisdom to accelerate the process proactively and consciously and to make a “human choice”? This idea has turned gordon on. In his view, a human society could significantly increase the average “quality” of an entire nation in a few generations by encouraging “good” individuals (those who are considered smart, healthy, rich and of high moral character), while limiting or even preventing the reproduction of “poor” individuals (those convicted of being stupid, infirm, poor and immoral). In 1883, gordon created a loud name for the “science” of this “improvement of the human race”: eugenics, “eugenics”. Upon birth, eugenics quickly attracted the attention of a large number of intellectuals from the western world. It was perfect for the spirit of the era:
Thus, the great wheel of eugenics of thought, with its twin sails of science and progress, began to sail towards an unknown sea full of temptations, but also in the dark。
The golden age of ghosts
At the beginning of the twentieth century, it was the golden age of eugenics. From the british academic salon, this wave of thought quickly crossed the atlantic ocean and found the most fanatical believers and the widest test fields in the united states。
United states: from fair to court
In the united states, eugenics is no longer a paper-based theory, but a social policy that has been put into practice. It permeates all aspects of public life in a near recreational manner. In addition to selecting the fattest pigs and the largest pumpkins at the state agricultural fairs, the competition has become a popular project. The “healthy families” and “healthy babies” contests attracted thousands of families. The contestants are required to submit detailed family history and personal medical reports, and the judges, composed of doctors and geneticists, give them points like livestock, and the winners receive medals and honours. These activities aim to spread a simple concept to the public: good genetics is a social responsibility. However, behind these seemingly harmless propaganda is the colder side of eugenics — negative eugenics. Proponents of eugenics argue that it is not enough simply to encourage “good” people to bear children, but, more importantly, to prevent “poor” people from polluting the gene pool. Their targets target socially marginalized groups that are labelled “mental retardation”, “psychiatry”, “customary sexual offences” and “moral depravity”. Driven by the eugenics movement, compulsory sterilization laws have been passed in various states of the united states since the beginning of the twentieth century. Indiana fired its first shot in 1907, followed by more than 30 states. Thousands of people were forced to undergo sterilization without their consent. The campaign reached its legal peak in 1927. In the famous buck v. Bell case, the supreme court of the united states ruled, by an overwhelming majority of 8 to 1, that virginia's forced sterilization laws were constitutional. Judge oliver wendell holmes jr. Wrote in his judgement the infamous assertion that “three generations of inherited imbeciles are enough.” this judgement removed the last legal obstacle to forced sterilization throughout the country. In addition to sterilization, the philosophy of eugenics has profoundly influenced the immigration policy of the united states. The immigration act of 1924, which is based on racial prejudice based on eugenics, severely restricts the entry of immigrants from southern europe, eastern europe and asia, because it considers that the “human race” in these areas is genetically “low”。
Global: a trend of “progress”
The united states is not alone. In the first half of the twentieth century, eugenics became a worldwide trend of “progress”. Many countries, such as sweden, norway, finland and canada, known for their “progress” and “welfare”, have pursued similar policies of forced sterilization, and their target populations are strikingly similar: persons with mental illness, persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities and the poor. At that time, pro-eugenicism was almost the "sweetness" of intellectuals. Authors such as shaw bernard, economist cairns, president theodore roosevelt and woodrow wilson have expressed their support for eugenics to varying degrees. It is seen as the ultimate tool for shaping the future using modern science to manage society. This phantom, which wanders around the world in the name of “a better future for humanity”, puts the cold scientific logic above the basic humanity and dignity。
Into the abyss
When eugenics took root around the world, one country pushed its theory to the most extreme and horrific logical end. This country is nazi germany. Adolf hitler and the nazi party are faithful to the idea of eugenics. On that basis, they had incorporated the united states policy of eugenics into their extreme racist theories. In their view, the aryans were “honorably” peoples, while jews, the roma (gypsies), mrs. Slav and all the disabled and mentally ill were elements that had to be removed from the gene pool of the german nation. From the very beginning, the nazi regime quickly transformed the eugenic theory into national law:
In 1933, the law on the prevention and control of genetically infected generations was enacted, and in just a few years, some 400,000 people were forcibly sterilized。
In 1935, the nürnberg act was introduced to prohibit intermarriage or sexual relations between jews and aryans in order to preserve what is called “racial purity”。
In 1939, the secret scheme code-named “t-4” was launched, systematically “euthanasia” affecting more than 200,000 disabled and mentally ill persons in germany and austria。
It's just the beginning. Ultimately, the eugenic ideology of the nazis, combined with anti-semitism, became the deepest crime in the history of humankind — the holocaust. Millions of jews and other minorities regarded as “poor” were systematically massacred in gas chambers and death camps in concentration camps. Nazi atrocities have pinned eugenics from a controversial “scientific theory” to the sham of history. Auschwitz's chimney showed the world the utopian dream of “improvement of the human race”, which eventually leads to hell。
The echo of the shadow
After the end of the second world war, as nazi crimes became known, “eugenics” became an elusive term. Its once-scientific haemorrhoids were completely stripped out of their ugly core of prejudice, discrimination and violence. The mainstream scientific community has also begun to reflect, acknowledging that the original understanding of genetics was too simplistic and that the role of the environment and education was severely underestimated. However, did the ghost of eugenics really disappear? It didn't. It is simply a softer and more hidden coat hidden in the rapid development of modern medicine and biotechnology. Today, we have the technology that the galtonians dream of:
These technologies have brought evangelization to countless families and helped them to avoid the suffering caused by genetic diseases. But they also create a series of profound ethical dilemmas that force us to return to that old problem: do we have the right to decide what kind of genes the next generation should have? Our difference from old-age eugenics is that today's choice is based more on individual freedom and the well-being of the family than on coercion by the state. But when these individual choices come together, will a new, market-driven “consumer-type eugenics” emerge inadvertently? Will the human community move towards a new, genetic-based class-stereotyped society when the rich have the capacity to “optimal” future generations through technology, while the poor cannot afford it? The history of eugenics is a painful warning. It tells us that when the instruments of science fall into the hands of prejudice and arrogance, when the quest for “perfect” prevails over respect for human beings and diversity, the consequences will be catastrophic. History does not simply repeat, but it rhymes. In the face of the magnificent picture of the human genome, we hold unprecedented creative power and therefore bear an ethical burden. How that power is used will determine whether we are moving towards a more dollar, more inclusive future or whether we are going to repeat the dangerous old dream of “perfect human beings”。
