Analysis of The Impact of The Eugenics on Modern Science Based on The Book by Troy Duster

Troy Duster is a famous sociologist who has studied and conducted research in many fields of Sociology. In his book, Backdoor to Eugenics, he discusses the science of eugenics and how it is affecting modern science as well as the social aspect of society. Though we usually interpret progress as a positive thing, the fear that even the best intention of world renowned physicians and scientist could be corrupted is still there. Especially since the technology behind eugenics is becoming much more powerful, the idea of eugenics is becoming more widely accepted, and it is much more practiced than ever before. I believe this is the essential idea of Tory Dusters thesis in his book.

Eugenics is a set of beliefs and practices aimed to improving the human race. It is the experimentation of manipulating genes to breed only desirable traits and eventually breed out all undesirable traits. Eugenics is intended to improve the quality of humans genetically to form the “fittest” race in order to create the strongest society known to mankind yet. In his book, Backdoor to Eugenics, Troy Duster uses many examples to show the role of Eugenics in the history of the United States. Such as when certain health and social policies were made because of the study of eugenics like the sterilization laws in action until 1972. These laws enforced the sterilization of any members of society that were unfit. For example, criminals and mentally handicap were sterilized of the fear that they would reproduce and pass on their undesirable traits onto their offspring, causing an inefficient circle of life. People then assumed that in order to form the most fit society it is necessary to feed out these members of society seen as a burden. Therefore, the Supreme Court upheld the ruling of a sterilization case Buck vs. Bell in 1927. In result of this ruling, twenty states passed sterilization laws in which fifty eight American were unjustifiably sterilized. Another way eugenics played a role in U.S. history was the IQ test issued to soldiers after World War 1. These intelligence tests were unjustly bias and the results of these tests showed that white soldiers scored the highest and southern and eastern europeans scored the lowest. These results happened to be released directly before the immigration act of 1924, which prompted the refusal of many southern and eastern europeans to the United States. There are obvious issues we can define in these situations, but there are many concealed problems with eugenics. For example, in regards to the problems with the efforts to explain race and IQ levels through eugenics, the first would be that the pursuit of the ideal scientific study of race and intelligence would specify the empirical referent for each concept in ways that are culture free and that is nearly impossible to achieve. The second problem was stated as Duster said that the empirical referent for “intelligence” would have to demonstrate an example in an appropriate and relevant situation. On the other hand, the problem with appropriating genetic explanation to mental illness is that there is variations in the definable entity, for an example psychiatrists in America are twice as likely to diagnose schizophrenia than European psychiatrists. Duster also said that there are no actual “IQ genes” to measure intelligence, although genes indirectly determine IQ.

Duster also suggests that eugenics is creeping through the backdoor. What he means by this is that eugenics is filtering through health and social policies just as those policies are affecting the study of eugenics. We can see the proof of this happening by studying the trend of genetic screening for expecting parents of a child. This is giving the parents of this child the option to check the gender of the child, and to see if the child will have any serious complications. They have began doing this to help the prevention of mentally handicapped members of society. Once the mental capabilities are determined by the doctor, the parents are given a choice to abort the child if it is mentally handicap. To me, this is where eugenics has gone wrong. Instead of prospering and helping humanity, it is destroying humanity by first taking out the “weak” of the society, yet how do we define an unfit member. An unfit member of society is up for interpretation therefore a body, life, and soul should not be at risk.

Just as Fred D. Ledley said in New England Journal of Medicine, Troy Duster's thesis essentially can be summarized by a famous quote by Anton Chekhov, “"If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired.” Meaning since scientists, geneticists, and sociologists have released the idea and technology of eugenics into the world, and some have actually prompted it, then eugenics will eventually be used to form this so called perfect society. I completely agree with Troy Duster and his theory on eugenics but I believe it is even a bigger problem than what he makes it out to be. If the modern technology and power of eugenics is placed into to wrong hands, humanity and society could be changed forever. In my Sociology/Anthropology 100 class, we have been asked before to think about when we recall eugenics playing a role in history, and I heavily recall the Holocaust immediately coming to my mind. Adolf Hitler thought of one race with certain desirable traits was the key to a successful fit society. Therefore he began to slowly breed and kill out all humans who did not have those traits meaning those traits would slowly extinguish and only Hitler's desirable traits would be left. This is the same concept in which eugenics is formed around, though the process that scientists and eugenicists may approach eugenics by may be less vulgar or flagrant, the result is the same.

When you take away human's we have lost one of the most precious things we have on this earth, and that is diversity. What makes a society or place inhibiting different types of people is the excitement of the differences, just as economies need to trade to be more efficient than the most efficient individual country, people from different backgrounds and cultures can trade their goods and services to create the most successful and efficient society, just as the pilgrims and indians did. As for eugenics, I believe the public needs to be educated on these issues and subjects now so that when eugenics becomes a bigger problem than what even Troy Duster says it will be, we can recognize the problems and maintain to grow as individuals in a society as a whole.