Abstract:Abstract The word “eugenics” was coined by Francis Galton, a Victorian intellectual who was among the first to explore the social implications of the theory of evolution. It combines the Greek eu , me...Abstract The word “eugenics” was coined by Francis Galton, a Victorian intellectual who was among the first to explore the social implications of the theory of evolution. It combines the Greek eu , meaning “good” or “well,” with the suffix – genēs , meaning “born.” In a definition published in 1883, Galton characterized eugenics as “the science of improving stock, which is by no means confined to questions of judicious mating, but which, especially in the case of man, takes cognizance of all influences that tend in however remote a degree to give to the more suitable races or strains of blood a better chance of prevailing speedily over the less suitable” (Galton 1883: 17 n.1). The history of eugenics has been decidedly spotty. This essay samples selectively from that history and comments on the relevance of the concept to contemporary moral debates.Read More
Publication Year: 2013
Publication Date: 2013-01-28
Language: en
Type: other
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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