Eugenics

Sir Francis GaltonIn The Origin of Species, Charles Darwin wove the eugenic philosophy of Plato into the theory of natural selection. By arguing that “extinction and natural selection go hand in hand,” Darwin legitimized the eugenics movements of the 20th century.

Eugenics originated in ancient cultures. RomeAthens, and Sparta practiced eugenics to improve the strength and survival of their societies. Encouraged by his brother, Erasmus, Darwin read An Essay on the Principle of Population by Thomas Robert Malthus, an English political economist, in 1838.

 

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Simple Scientific Theory?

Niles Eldredge Natural selection is a simple scientific theory, according to the American Museum of Natural History, New York.  For the museum’s Darwin Exhibit, the museum curator, Niles Eldredge, explains:

“A century and a half ago, Charles Darwin offered the world a single, simple scientific explanation for the diversity of life on Earth: evolution by natural selection.”

“Natural selection.” Eldredge explains, “is a simple mechanism that causes populations of living things to change over time.”

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