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Reread the first paragraph in Galton’s 1904 description from Nature. What words or phrases stand out (“inborn qualities of the race,” “better to be healthy than sick,” etc.)? What does Galton say about eugenics? What does he imply? When Galton writes that the aim is for each “class or sect” to contribute its best elements to future generations, he is suggesting that all groups contribute to the future of humanity even though they are not equal. How do you think Galton expects each class to weed out its worst elements and find its appropriate place in society?
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Galton insisted that the “best” people in a society are the “brightest.” What is the power of that argument? How does it shape our society today?
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What are the three stages Galton suggests as necessary to the success of eugenics? What is clear about each stage? What is vague? How do you account for the vagueness? Galton wanted eugenics to be accepted as an “orthodox religious tenet” and a scientific fact. Is it possible for an idea to be both a science and a religion? How does Galton seem to regard the relationship between science and society? The relationship between science and religion?
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Why do you think Galton insisted that morals be left out of any discussion of eugenics as an “orthodox religious tenet”?
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