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GRADE 11 – TOPIC 3: IDEAS OF RACE IN THE LATE 19TH

AND 20TH CENTURIES

UNIT 2 : AN EXPLANATION OF EUGENICS

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WHAT ARE PERSONALITY TRAITS?

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WHAT ARE PHYSICAL CHARACTER TRAITS?

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DO WE USE CHARACTER TRAITS IN OUR EVERYDAY LIFES TO SEND A MESSAGE OR TO JUDGE OTHERS?

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IF WE PLAY COMPUTER OR TELEVISION GAMES, WE OFTEN CHOOSE OUR CHARACTER ACCORDING TO THE TRAITS WE FIND

MOST DESIRABLE

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WE ALSO CHOOSE OUR FRIENDS ACCORDING TO THE APPEARANCE AND PERSONALITY

TRAITS WE LIKE MOST.

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SOCIAL DARWISM

• As the ideas of scientific racism became popular, social scientists began to borrow the theories of biologists in order to further develop their theories of race.

• Herbert Spencer developed the philosophy of Social Darwinism, in which he adapted Charles Darwin’s research on evolution in the animal kingdom and applied it to human beings.

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SOCIAL DARWISM

• Darwin discovered that animal species are changing and evolving in their competitive environment, and that only the strongest species survived.

• Spencer applied this research to human beings to support his belief that some humans are superior to others.

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SOCIAL DARWISM

• The strongest humans (white, wealthy and powerful) were at the top of society, while the weak (poor, black people and Jews) were at the bottom.

• This principle known as ‘survival of the fittest’ implied that, as in the animal kingdom, human society was undertaking an evolutionary process in which the fittest would dominate.

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SOCIAL DARWISM

• The ideas of Social Darwinism appealed to the rich and powerful people in society, because they felt it explained and justified social inequalities.

• The false teaching of Social Darwinism had terrible effects on international politics, economics and social developments across the globe.

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SOCIAL DARWISM

• : “Social Darwinism supported the view that so-called ‘white civilised’ industrial nations that had technologically advanced weapons had the moral right to conquer and ‘civilise’ the ‘savage blacks’ of the world. In this way, its supporters believed that superior societies would evolve culturally and politically and dominate the weak. Social Darwinism seemed to justify imperialism, colonialism, racism and poverty.”

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Social Darwinism was the theory that human society could be categorised

into the fit and superior and the unfit and inferior. It included the concept of the survival of the fittest and justified measures taken by superior groups to

maintain their superiority. Eugenics took this one step further and proposed

getting rid of the inferior people in society.

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Eugenics is a set of theories claiming that it is possible to improve a human

or animal species by breeding from the better ones and not from weaker ones.

Eugenicists want species with desirable characteristics to survive and

to dominate.

EUGENICS

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“Linking to Eugenics, can you think of some examples in

History where positive Eugenics was promoted and

reproducing negative Eugenics was discouraged?”

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What is positive Eugenics?

• Only people with desirable traits should be allowed to reproduce.

• “GOOD IN BIRTH”• Positive eugenics means adding to the human

gene pool so called desirable characteristics.

• But the question relating to the cause of racism and the effect theories of race had, would be to whom are these characteristics desirable?

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Francis Galton and his theory of Eugenics

• HIS THEORY BUILDED ON THE THEORY OF SOCIAL DARWISM...

• “Eugenicists supported the view that stronger groups in society should be improved and weaker groups should be removed. “

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Negative Eugenics and Selective Breeding

• SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO REPRODUCE• They thought that social problems like crime

and poverty could be solved by getting rid of the ‘inferior’ parts of the population.

• They concentrated on the differences between people and categorised them into ‘fit’ and ‘unfit’.

• The idea was to create the perfect race.

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Example in history

• Nazi Germany was the most enthusiastic supporter of negative Eugenics.

• The Nazis sterilised almost a quarter of a million people thought to be ‘unfit’ for reasons of health and eventually murdered more than 70 000 people in German mental hospitals. They also murdered millions of people because of their religion or race.”

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SUMMARY

• Social Darwinism was the theory that human society could be categorised into the fit and superior and the unfit and inferior. It included the concept of the survival of the fittest and justified measures taken by superior groups to maintain their superiority. Eugenics took this one step further and proposed getting rid of the inferior people in society.

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SUMMARY

• Social Darwinism was the theory that human society could be categorised into the fit and superior and the unfit and inferior. It included the concept of the survival of the fittest and justified measures taken by superior groups to maintain their superiority. Eugenics took this one step further and proposed getting rid of the inferior people in society.