Being Well-Born: An Introduction to EugenicsGuyer, Michael F. (Michael Frederic)
Philosophy
Being Well-Born: An Introduction to Eugenics
Guyer, Michael F. (Michael Frederic)
Eugenics; Genetics
=Constructive Eugenics Must Be Based on Education.--=As to the first
phase, direct selection for superiority, the campaign must, in the very
nature of things, be one of education. With the necessary knowledge of the
facts in mind, the awakening conscience of the individual together with
an enlightened public opinion will form the safest guide. Increasing
popular comprehension of the inevitable nature of human inheritance must
engender a sense of responsibility as to the positive eugenic fitness of a
contemplated marriage. The growth of this sentiment will doubtless be
slow, and properly so, for as yet we have but half-lights on what are the
most desirable types of humanity. No one can say what the highest type of
man should be, but almost any one can readily pick out types which
certainly should _not_ be.
=Inferior Increasing More Rapidly Than Superior Stocks.--=Modern
eugenists, although realizing that the constructive phase is of great
importance, are making no attempt to map out any fixed mode of procedure
for it beyond pointing out the desirability of larger families among the
better classes. The need for individuals of superior physical, mental and
moral qualities to multiply is so obvious as scarcely to require comment.
Yet the fact is that judging from all appearances these are the very ones
who have the lowest birth-rate. Eugenics is mainly concerned with the
relative rates of increase of the various classes, not with mere fertility
in itself. And the actual increase must be measured in terms of the extent
to which birth-rate exceeds death-rate. If a high birth-rate is
accompanied by a high death-rate then it is not especially significant in
increasing a given class as a whole. All available evidence points to the
fact that to-day the lower strata of society are far outbreeding the
middle and higher, with an almost negligible difference in death-rate, and
just in the measure that these lower strata are innately inferior just in
that degree must the race deteriorate. The seriousness of the whole
situation as it exists to-day hinges, therefore, on the extent to which
the lower strata are inferior to those above them.
=An Unselected Population May Contain Much Valuable Material.--=In
evaluating these lower strata a matter of very great importance is whether
the population is a selected or an unselected one. If the population has
been long resident in a given region and has had fairly good opportunity
for education then we will find in the lower reaches a larger percentage
of sedimentation made up of the worthless and inferior stocks. If,
however, a continual fomentation and geographical shifting of the
population is in progress as in parts of America, or if adequate
educational opportunities are lacking, as in some parts of Russia, the
poor and less well-to-do classes may contain, no one can tell how much,
relatively valuable stock.
Forel remarks on this point as follows:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account