Friday 17 January 2014

James Watson: “Eugenics Is Sort of Self -Correcting Your Evolution”


James Watson looked like this some 20 years ago. Image courtesy of the National Cancer Institute.



Joel Kontinen


James Watson, the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA, said recently:

Eugenics is sort of self -correcting your evolution, and the message I have is that individuals should direct the evolution of their descendants, don't let the State do it. I think it would be irresponsible not to direct your evolution if you could, in the sense that you could have a healthy child versus an unhealthy child, I think it is irresponsible not to try and direct the evolution to produce a human being who would be an asset to the world as well as to himself.”

Evolution and eugenics have been Siamese twins since the time when Charles Darwin’s descendants and especially his cousin Francis Galton began to dabble with the idea of improving mankind. Along the way, it led to abortion and genocide. Under Hitler, the German Nazis perfected their “scientific” racism in an attempt to help natural selection improve mankind.

Dr. Watson has kindly reminded us of the Darwinian roots of eugenics.

Source:

DNA Learning Center.