The term eugenics is derived from the English word “eugenics”, built from the Greek “eu-” (meaning “good”) and “genos” (meaning “birth” or “race”).
Long before the term “eugenics” appeared, societies sought to control reproduction: selection in Sparta, royal incest in Egypt or among the Incas, philosophical projects by Plato advocating that “the elite of men have commerce with the elite of women”. The idea of “improving” humans is therefore ancient.
In 1883, Francis Galton coined the term “eugenics” from the Greek roots “eu-” (meaning “good”) and “genos” (meaning “birth” or “race”). It thus refers to a “science of the improvement of the human race”, inspired by animal breeding and evolutionary theories. The acknowledged goal is to favor the “best” and limit the reproduction of others.
Positive eugenics encourages certain unions deemed desirable, while negative eugenics imposes segregation, sterilization, or death. These ideas fueled public policies in the 20th century, leading to Nazi crimes.
Unlike France, the United States and Scandinavian countries implemented eugenics policies (including forced sterilizations) up to the 1970s. Nazi Germany took this logic to extermination.
The crimes of Nazism, the Nuremberg Trials, and advances in genetics highlighted the scientific and moral dead-end of eugenics. Human dignity then surpassed the idea of a mandated “biological progress”.
Prenatal and pre-implantation diagnostics, products of modern science, aim to prevent serious diseases rather than “improve the species”. However, they open the door to a new, more diffuse and potentially insidious form.
Embryo selection, genetic scoring, promises of optimization… Are we heading towards a “liberal eugenics” or a commodified one? Without direct state constraints, pressure can become social, economic, or ideological.
The Civil Code prohibits any eugenic practice designed to organize the selection of individuals. The prevention and treatment of genetic diseases are permitted, but any transmissible modification of the human genome remains prohibited.
Genetic tests, transhumanism, embryonic selection start-ups… Tools evolve faster than ethics. Eugenics is no longer an overt project, but it remains a burning question concerning our collective and individual choices.
In the United States, the obsession of Donald Trump and some tech giants with human intelligence and optimization reveals, in subtext, eugenic and racialist convictions.
Context: The article discusses the historical background and modern implications of eugenics, from its origins to contemporary issues.
Fact Check: The information provided in the article aligns with historical knowledge and debates surrounding eugenics and its ethical implications.
