Essay on Eugenics - 1060 Words

The roots of eugenics can be traced back to Britain in the early 1880’s when Sir Francis Galton generated the term from the Greek word for â€Å"well-born†. He defined eugenics as the science of improving stock, whether human or animal. According to the American Eugenics Movement, today’s study of eugenics has many similarities to studies done in the early 20th century. Back then, â€Å"Eugenics was, quite literally, an effort to breed better human beings – by encouraging the reproduction of people with quot;goodquot; genes and discouraging those with quot;badquot; genes.† (www.eugenicsarchive.org) According to Merriam-Webster, the modern day definition of eugenics is, a science that deals with the improvement (as by control of human mating) of†¦show more content†¦At the same time, cloning could operate as a form of positive eugenics, increasing the number of births of babies with excellent health and high intelligence. One thing that many people disagree upon is whether or not eugenics and genetic cloning is ethically right or wrong. On one hand, it could eliminate children being born with life threatening diseases by forewarning parents of potential medical problems. â€Å"It is known that hemophilia, albinism, and certain structural abnormalities are inheritable. Family gene maps, called pedigrees, can help families with serious diseases avoid having children with the same diseases through genetic counseling, and, increasingly, prospective parents can be tested directly for the presence of undesired genes.† (Prothero) Another possible use of genetics could be the production of healthy organs. For example, heart disease is one of the top causes of death in the United States. Scientists predict that they will someday be able to clone healthy heart cells and inject them into damaged areas of the heart to cure defects. There is also a possibility that doctors will be able to take healthy cells and tissue from a patients body and use them to create organs. This would eliminate the need for organ donor waiting lists. People would no longer be facing early death because there is not a healthy heart or other organ available to them. At the same time, some people question if it is morally right to, in terms, â€Å"play god†. Some goShow MoreRelatedEugenics And The Eugenics Movement2789 Words   |  12 PagesMichael Olson 951-36-5231 PS 308 PS 308 Essay Eugenics has always been given such a notoriously bad connotation, and rightfully so. Eugenics is essentially the belief in controlling the human population by means of improving the gene pool through different processes, and increasing the likelihood of traits which are generally more desirable to the whole of the species. Now that probably sounds familiar, doesn t it? People commonly connect the eugenics movement with the Aryan belief that Hitler infamouslyRead MoreEugenics Is The Idea Of Eugenics1714 Words   |  7 Pagesto eliminate undesired traits and disease? Eugenics is the idea that future generations can be improved through the selection of desirable characteristics. Some find eugenics to be taboo and artificial. Others find it to be the key to improving the gene pool of the human population (â€Å"Sir Francis Galton†). By learning more about the origin, use, and effects of eugenics, one can better speculate on its place in society today. The origin of eugenics goes back to ancient times. People have consistentlyRead MoreEugenics And The Eugenics Movement1559 Words   |  7 PagesHell is a road that was paved with good intentions; this clichà © quintessentially describes the eugenics movement. Eugenics is the controlled reproduction of individuals; the main focus of eugenics is to isolate â€Å"good† genes from â€Å"bad† genes (Dolan DNA Learning Center). The main goal of Eugenics is to create a higher quality human race (Dolan DNA Learning Center). This movement became the center of which the twentieth century orbited around. The movement swayed numerous significant policies, whichRead MoreEugenics And The Eugenics Movement1530 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Hell is a road that was paved with good intentions†; this clichà © quintessentially describes the eugenics movement. Eugenics is the controlled reproduction of individuals; the main focus is to isolate â€Å"good† genes from â€Å" bad† genes (Dolan DNA Learning Center). The primary goal of Eugenics is to create a higher quality human race and became the center of which the twentieth century orbited around (Dolan DNA Learning Center). The movement swayed numerous significant policies, which were implementedRead MoreEugenics And The Eugenics Movement1512 Words   |  7 PagesEugenics is the pseudoscience of obtaining desired traits in a population through controlled repopulation, specifically by preventing those deemed â€Å"unfit† by â€Å"Nordic stereotypes† from breeding. Most modern day Americans do not realize the origins of eugenics, which was planted by Charles Darwin and Sir Francis Galton and bloomed in America, and what effect it had on the attempt to create a master race in Nazi Germany. America played a very influential role in German eugenics by collaboration betweenRead MoreEugenics : The Theory Of Eugenics1552 Words   |  7 PagesEugenics History The theory of Eugenics can be dated back all the way to 400 B.C. but was not popularized until the mid-1800s by an English scientist, Francis Galton. He researched and published the theory that aimed to improve the genetic quality of the human population through selective breeding (NC Office of Archives and History). As the half-cousin of Charles Darwin, Galton applied the Darwinism science (survival of the fittest) to heredity characteristics. Two types of Eugenics stemmed fromRead MoreEugenics And The Eugenics Movement3686 Words   |  15 Pageshave always been interested in success, in making sure they survive, and creating new tools and technology to enable them to reach these goals. So it should come as no surprise that eugenics follows this same guideline in human history. A term originally coined by Francis Galton, first cousin to Charles Darwin, eugenics simply means that the â€Å"best people† in society with the most â€Å"healthy† â€Å"normal† genes should continue to reproduce and pass on their â€Å"goodness† to the next generation, while the individualsRead MoreEugenics Is A Theory Of Eugenics1579 Words   |  7 PagesBased in the ideas of Charles Darwin, the theory of eugenics came about. During its time, it was embraced almost unanimously throughout the world. This theory had very few objectors to the practice of eugenics. But what is eugenics anyways? Why was it poplar exactly? And what were its impacts on the world we live in today? Eugenics is a theory that had many different reasons for being popular, and many differing impact on our world today. Eugenics is an interesting topic that could be said to haveRead MoreThe Eugenics Of The Word Eugenics1626 Words   |  7 PagesThe word eugenics was first derived from the Greek word â€Å"eugenes† which means well-born. The goal of eugenics is to create and breed the utmost superior person through selection while picking out the good traits and eliminating the bad ones. Eugenics is the study of using methods to improve genetics by selective breeding (Eugenics, 2009). This came about because of the thought of being able to tell the difference between inferior and superior human beings. In 1883 the word eugenics was first usedRead MoreEugenics, Eugenics And Selective Breeding2034 Words   |  9 PagesEugenics is defined as the science of improving a human population by controlled breeding to increase the occurrence of desirable heritable characteristics (Merriam-Webster). The extensive and shadowed history of authoritative and liberal eugenics practices dates back to 1883 when eugenecist Francis Galton began publicly advocating for the castration of the insane. Eugenics practices occurred around the world for more than a century and are still part of scientific progress and discussion today.