Will behavioural genetics research lead to eugenic policies?
Research in behavioural genetics takes place in the shadow of eugenic practices. Eugenics, literally meaning ‘well born’, is the idea of improving humanity using scientific methods, for example, by selective breeding. But the use of negative eugenics was a central aspect of some of the worst atrocities in recent history. In the US, Europe and elsewhere, hundreds of thousands of people were segregated and sterilised. In Nazi Germany, ‘euthanasia’ programmes attempted to eliminate entire groups of people. These policies have been widely, and rightly, condemned. The report outlines the history of the eugenics movement, its impact on research into human behaviour, and the lessons that may be learnt.
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