Eugenics Argumentative Essay

668 Words3 Pages
As time has passed, the human race has become increasingly critical on itself. What is the best human? How can the human race improve? What can we do every day to create a better world for our descendants? Although these questions are important, some answers to these questions have very dangerous implications and consequences. One such answer is that of eugenics. What is eugenics, and is it justifiable? Eugenics is a relatively simple and straightforward concept. Dictionary.com states that eugenics is “the study of or belief in the possibility of improving the qualities of the human species...especially by such means as discouraging reproduction by persons having genetic defects...or encouraging reproduction by persons presumed to have inheritable desirable traits” (“eugenics.”) Basically, eugenics takes natural selection and makes it “unnatural selection.” A good example of eugenics is…show more content…
From the standpoint of eugenics, people can be born either good or evil. This contradicts a concept in psychology called behaviorism, which means people learn everything they know about morality from life experiences and other people. Regardless of the behaviorism versus naturalism debate, some people believe that there is still no such thing as free will. For example, Albert Einstein believed in strict determinism. He thinks that “Everything is determined, the beginning as well as the end, by forces over which we have no control” (Isaacson). From this point of view, eugenics could be used to create a version of humanity where everyone always makes the right decisions. One could argue against this point of view by asking if the ends justify the means. Is it morally acceptable to slaughter thousands now in order to create a better race later? It is clear that the use of eugenics to improve the mental level of humanity is a very controversial
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