Friday, June 01, 2012

Eugenics Free Will and Power: Intro


I. INTRODUCTION
The topic I have selected to research is eugenics. There are several things that can be discussed under this topic. The way that eugenics is promoted to the general population is that it is a way of creating a more perfect human race. Early eugenicists had good intentions and thought “natural selection would improve if it were guided by human intelligence” (Gillham 84). Eugenics as defined on dictionary.com:
…Is the study or belief in the possibility of improving the qualities of the human species or a human population, especially by such means as discouraging reproduction by persons having genetic defects or presumed to have inheritable undesirable traits (negative eugenics) or encouraging reproduction by persons presumed to have inheritable desirable traits (positive eugenics).

I expand the general definition of eugenics to include government-sponsored programs that are directed to manipulate the general population in the efforts to purify or clean the human race.

There are three components to this paper. First, I give a brief explanation of eugenics and a brief historical background within the United States. Second, I discuss and explain the concept of free will and determinism outside of the concept of eugenics. It is a general assessment of the ideas behind the two opposing theories. The final component of the paper brings eugenics and free will together in a discussion that asserts two things. I argue that eugenics is first, a method of human cleansing and second that it is aimed at interrupting humanity’s free will.

Photo Credit



No comments: