TheCaseforEugenicsinaNutshell

byMarianVanCourt
ThisarticleappearedintheWinter2004issueofTheOccidentalQuarterly
[Englishpdf]|[Swedishpdf]|[Dutchpdf]|[Romanianpdf]

TheeleventheditionofTheEncyclopediaBritannicadefineseugenicsas"theorganicbettermentofthe
racethroughwiseapplicationofthelawsofheredity."Mostpeopledrawablankwhentheyheartheword,
oritconjuresupimagesofswastikasandjackbootedNazis.Buteugenicshashadalonghistory,extending
backtoancientRomeandbeyond.
Eugenicsisconcernedwiththecurrentdirectionofhumanevolution.Thousandsofarticleshavebeen
publishedinscholarlyjournals,tonsofdirthavebeensiftedthroughwithtinybrushesinsearchforskulls,
vastamountsofgrantmoneyawardedtoresearchers,andmanyentirecareersspenttryingtodiscoverhow
weevolvedlargerbrainsandgreaterintelligenceuptothepointofHomosapiens,andthisisafascinating
andworthwhileendeavor.Butwhatisurgent,whatisarguablythemostimportantquestionfacingour
species,iswherehumanbeingsareevolvingrightnow.Areweevolvinginafavorabledirection,oran
unfavorableone?
It'struethatnaturalselectionhasvirtuallyceasedtooperateinmanypartsoftheworldtoday,butevolution
continuesbecausehumanreproductionisfarfromrandom.Justashistorymarchesonindefinitelyintothe
future,bothinwarandinpeace,so,too,doesevolution.Reproductivepatternsofeachgenerationshapethe
innatecharacterofsuccessivegenerations,whetherforbetter,orforworse.
Mostofuswanttogiveourchildrenasmuchasourparentsgaveus,preferablymore.Wewantthemto
havethebestpossibleeducation,andeveryadvantagewecanafford.Wealsohopetoleavethemabetter

worldthantheonewewereborninto.However,themostimportantlegacywecanbequeathtoourchildren
istheirownbiologicalintegrity:goodhealth,highintelligence,andnoblecharacter.Thesetraitsgoalong
waystowardsinsuringtheirpersonalhappinessandwellbeing.Takencollectively,thesetraitsconstitute
theabilityofapopulationtomaintainandadvancecivilizationthemostpreciousofhumangiftsfor
withoutcivilization,chaosreigns,"mightmakesright,"andsufferingabounds.
Thefocusofthispaperwillbeonintelligence.Here'stheargument,inanutshell:
1.Humanintelligenceislargelyhereditary.
2.Civilizationdependstotallyuponinnateintelligence.Withoutinnateintelligence,civilizationwould
neverhavebeencreated.Whenintelligencedeclines,sodoescivilization.
3.Thehigherthelevelofcivilization,thebetteroffthepopulation.Civilizationisnotaneitheror
proposition.Rather,it'samatterofdegree,andeachdegree,upordown,affectsthewellbeingofevery
citizen.
4.Atthepresenttime,weareevolvingtobecomelessintelligentwitheachnewgeneration.Whyisthis
happening?Simple:theleastintelligentpeoplearehavingthemostchildren.
5.Unlesswehaltorreversethistrend,ourcivilizationwillinvariablydecline.Anydeclinein
civilizationproducesacommensurateincreaseinthecollective"miseryquotient."
Logicandscientificevidencestandbehindeachstatementlistedabove.
1. Human intelligence is largely hereditary.
ScientistshavefoundthatidenticaltwinsseparatedatbirthandraisedapartarealmostidenticalinIQ,
despitethefactthattheyhadtotallydifferentenvironments.Remarkably,twinsrearedapartareassimilaras
identicaltwinsrearedtogetherbythetimethey'readults.Theyalsoresembleoneanotherstrikinglyintheir

mannerisms,thewaytheylaugh,theirlikesanddislikes,phobias,temperament,sexualpreference,
educationalachievement,income,conscientiousness,musicalability,senseofhumor,whetherthey're
criminalsorlawabiding,andprettymucheverythingelsethat'severbeentested,eventraitsaspeculiaras
whichvegetablestheyrefusetoeat(Bouchard,1993).Theextentoftheirsimilarityamazeseventhe
researchersandthetwinsthemselves.
Theprimacyofgenesislikewisedemonstratedbyadoptionstudies.Adoptedchildren'sIQsresemblethose
oftheirbiologicalparentsfarmorecloselythantheyresemblethoseoftheiradoptiveparents,who
essentiallyprovidedthemwiththeirenvironmentsfromthetimeofbirthonwards.Whenadoptedchildren
aregrown,there'snovirtuallyresemblancebetweentheirIQsandthoseoftheiradoptiveparents(Loehlin,
Willerman,andHorn,1987).
ThedominantroleofheredityindeterminingIQisnotatheory,it'sanestablishedfact,theconsensusof
hundredsofstudiesconductedindifferenttimesandplacesbymanydifferentresearchers.Butthepublicis
largelyunawareofthisfactbecausetheliberalmediahavetoldthemrepeatedlythatmostexpertsinIQ
testingbelieveIQislargelyenvironmental.Inreality,themajorityofresearchersinthefieldofintelligence
testingbelievesheredityisthemoreimportantfactor(SnydermanandRothman,1988).
2. Civilization depends totally upon innate intelligence.
Thisassertionisprettymuchselfevident.Lions,wilddogs,bees,ants,chimpanzees,andmanyother
animalsliveinsocialgroups.Theymaycooperateinvariousways,yettheyhavenothingthatcouldbe
calledcivilization.Whynot?Becausethey'renotnearlysmartenough!
Obviously,ifcivilizationdependedentirelyuponexposuretoan"enriched"environment,we'dallstillbe
skulkingaboutincaves.Ifhumanbeingsfirstexistedinprimitiveconditions,andtheenvironmentcounted
foreverythingandgeneticsnothing(assomeassert),howcouldanyprogresseverhaveoccurred?It's
obviousthere'saninbornstreakofgeniusthatdrivesthecreationoftechnologyandcivilization.

Onewaytolookattherelationshipbetweenintelligenceandcivilizationistoinvestigateancient
civilizations,studyingwhytheyrose,andwhytheyfell.Butafarmorestraightforwardapproachwouldbe
tosimplylookaroundus,andtosurveythevariouscountriesoftheworld.Today,in2004,thereare
countlessgradationsofcivilizationallovertheglobe.JapanhasanaverageIQof104,comparedtotheU.S.
averageof100.Japanisaneconomicpowerhouse,despitebeingatinycountrywithvirtuallynoresources.
It'salsoapeacefulandpredictableplaceinwhichtolive.InTokyo,abagofmoneyleftonaparkbench
maysitthereforawhileuntilsomeoneeventuallyturnsitintotheauthorities.
JapanhasahigheraverageIQthanAmerica,Mexicohasalowerone,andtheblackAfricannationshave
thelowest.TheverysamehierarchyofnationsreplicatesitselfinAmerica,bothinIQscoresandin
socioeconomicstatus(SES).Forexample,AmericansofJapaneseancestryscorehigheronIQtests,andare
moresuccessful,thanaverageAmericans.BlacksinAmericascorelowestandareleastsuccessful.Thefact
thatpeopleofJapaneseancestrybothinJapanandintheU.S.scoreaboveaverageneatlydisposesofthe
commonobjectionthatIQtestsare"culturallybiased"infavorofCaucasians.
Interestingly,SESamongindividualswithinonefamilyisinfluencedbyinnateintelligence.OneU.S.study
foundthatinfamilieswith2ormorebrothers,boyswithhigherIQsthantheirfatherstendedtomoveupon
thesocioeconomiceconomicladderwhentheybecameadults,whereasthosewithlowerIQstendedto
movedown(Jencks,1982).Brothershavealmostidenticalenvironmentssameparents,samehouse,same
food,sameschools,sameneighborhood.Whydotheyoftendiffer?Becausetheygetdifferentrollsoftheir
parents'geneticdice.Siblingssharetheirenvironmentalmostentirely,butonaverage,theyshareonly50%
oftheirgenes.Somewillsharemore,someless.[Spermandeggsaremadewithhalfthegenesofeach
parent,sothatwhentheyunite,thefertilizedeggwillhavethefullcomplementofgenes.Butonechild
won'tgetthesameidenticalhalffromhisfather,andthesameidenticalhalffromhismother,thathissibling
got.]Isitanywonderbrothersandsistersoftengrowuptobequitedifferent?Thefactthatthesmarterones
moveup,andthedulleronesdown,provesthatSESissignificantlyinfluencedbyinnateintelligence.
3. The higher the level of civilization, the better off the population.

Tosay,"Thehigherthelevelofcivilization,thebetteroffthepopulation"isaxiomatic,muchlikesaying,
"It'sbettertobehealthythantohaveadisease."It'splainforeveryonetoseethatpeoplewholivein
countrieswithahighlevelofcivilizationhavemoreofeverythingwhichisuniversallyconsideredgood,
andlessofeverythingwhichisuniversallyconsideredbad.Forexample,theyhavemoremoney,morefun,
betterfood,nicerclothes,biggerandbetterhouses,bettereducations,longerlives,lesspainanddisease,
lessuncertaintyintheirlives,lesscrime,bettermedicalanddentalcare,morepersonalpower,more
happinessandfulfillment,lessanguishanddespair.
Question:"Whydolargenumbersofpeoplefromcountrieswithlowlevelsofcivilizationrisktheirlives
everyyeartogettocountrieswithhighlevelsofcivilization,whilethereverseneveroccurs?"
Answer:"Theyrisktheirlivesbecausetheythinklifeismuchbetterthere,andthey'reright."Ifthiswerenot
thecase,whywouldsuchonewaymigrationoccur?
Economicprosperitymakesupalargepartofthispicture.InIQandtheWealthofNations,Lynnand
Vanhanen(2002)gathereddatafrom185countriesandfoundthattheaverageIQofanationcorrelates.7
withitspercapitaGrossDomesticProduct(GDP),andthatIQisthesinglemostimportantfactorinthe
wealthofanation.(Freemarketeconomyandpresenceofnaturalresourcesweresecondandthird,
respectively.)
4. At the present time, we are evolving to become less intelligent with each new generation.
Forhundredsofyears,untiltheearly1800sinEnglandandAmerica,therewasnaturalfertility,i.e.,no
effortstolimitthenumberofbirths.Marriedcouplestendedtohavemanychildren,butnoteveryonecould
marry.Menwhodidn'tearnenoughtosupportafamilyremainedsingleandchildless,andthenetresultwas
asmallpositiverelationshipbetweenfertilityandintelligence.Thenseveralbooksoncontraceptionwere
publishedwhichnaturallyaffectedthosewhocouldreaddisproportionately.Condomsanddiaphragms
becameavailable,andthebirthrateofthemiddleandupperclassesdeclined.Bythemiddleofthecentury
ithadbecomeapparentthateducatedpeoplewerehavingfewerchildrenthantheuneducated.

Thiscausedconsiderablealarm,andanumberofstudieswereundertakenbothinEnglandandAmericain
theearlydecadesofthe20thcentury.Schoolchildren'sIQswerefoundtocorrelatenegativelywiththeir
numberofsiblings,whichseemedtoconfirmfearsofdysgenicfertility,butthisconclusionwasquestioned
becausetherewasnowaytoknowtheIQsofthechildless.Later,someU.S.studiesofadultIQandnumber
ofoffspringreportednegativecorrelations,butothersimilarstudiesfoundnocorrelation.However,the
samplesusedinallthesestudieswerenotrepresentativeoftheU.S.populationasawholetheywere
restrictedeitherintermsofrace,birthcohort,orgeographicalarea.Sobymidtolate20thcentury,there
wasstillnodefinitiveanswertothequestionofdysgenicfertility.Thenin1984,FrankBeanandIhadthe
goodfortunetodiscoveranexcellentdataset,theGeneralSocialSurvey(GSS),totestthehypothesis.It
includedashortvocabularytestdevisedbyThorndiketoprovidearoughgradingofmentalabilitywhich
wasidealforourstudy.TheGSShadinterviewedalarge,representativesampleoftheU.S.population
whosereproductiveyearsfellbetween1912and1982,yieldingdatawhichprovidedtheuniqueopportunity
ofanoverviewoftherelationshipbetweenfertilityandIQformostofthe20thcentury.Inall15ofthe5
yearcohorts,correlationsbetweentestscoresandnumberofoffspringwerenegative,and12of15were
statisticallysignificant(VanCourtandBean,1985).
Recently,RichardLynnandIdidafollowupstudywhichincludednewdatacollectedinthe1990sbythe
GSS,andwegotverysimilarresults.Wecalculatedthat.9IQpointswerebeinglostpergeneration(Lynn
andVanCourt,2003).Tofindouthowmuchhasbeenlostduringthe20thcentury,wecansimplymultiply
.9x4generations=3.6IQpoints.Therearenoprecisedataforthelatterpartofthe19thcentury,butthere's
everyindicationthattheperiodof18751900wasseriouslydysgenic.Soasarough(butconservative)
estimateofthetotal125yearloss,wecanmultiply.9x5generations=4.4IQpointslostfrom1875tothe
present.AlossofthismagnitudewouldapproximatelyhalvethosewithIQsover130,anddoublethose
withIQsbelow70.
InDysgenics:GeneticDeteriorationinModernPopulations,RichardLynn(1996)foundthatdysgenic
fertilityistheruleratherthantheexceptionaroundtheworld.Therehaven'tbeenasmanystudiesdonein

Europe,butitappearstobeaboutonaparwiththeU.S.intermsoftheseverityofthedysgenictrend.The
onlyplacedysgenicfertilityisnotfoundissubSaharanAfricawherebirthcontrolisnotused.
Asthereadermayhavebeguntosuspect,themainreasonfordysgenicfertilityisthatintelligentwomenuse
birthcontrolmoresuccessfullythanunintelligentwomendo.Thisseemstobethecaseregardlessofwhich
methodisused.Womenofhigh,average,andlowIQallwant,onaverage,thesamenumberofchildren,
butlowIQwomenhavefarmoreaccidentalpregnancies,andthusmorechildren.Ifallwomenhadthe
exactnumberofchildrentheydesired,therewouldbevirtuallynodysgenicfertility(VanCourt,1984).A
secondfactoristhatveryintelligentandsuccessfulwomen(doctors,lawyers,professors,engineers,and
womenworkingathighlevelsinbusiness)oftenenduphavingfarfewerchildrenthantheywouldliketo
have.Arecentstudyfoundthat33%ofhighachievingwomenarechildlessbyage40,andonly14%ofthis
grouparechildlessbychoice(Hewlett,2002).
5. Unless we halt or reverse this trend, our civilization will invariably decline.
Thisconclusionfollowslogicallyfrompremises14.
Theconceptofcivilizationisabstract,buthere'soneeasywaytoconceptualizewhat,precisely,itmeans
when"civilizationdeclines":NorthAmericans,Europeans,andJapanesecansimplyimaginelivingtheir
entirelivesinMexico.MexicanscanimaginelivingtheirentirelivesinAfrica.That'swhatadeclinein
civilizationmeans,andfewwouldattempttoarguethatit'sagoodthing.
InTheBellCurve,HerrnsteinandMurray(1994)reportedthatallsocialproblemswereexacerbatedwhen
theymovedtheaverageIQdownstatisticallyintheirsamplebyjust3points,from100to97.Thenumber
ofwomenchronicallydependentonwelfareincreasedbyalmost15%,illegitimacyincreasedby8%,men
whowereincarceratedincreasedby13%,andnumberofpermanenthighschooldropoutsincreasedby
15%.Withanactual3pointdrop,thesepercentageswouldrepresenttheunhappylivesofmillionsofreal
people,plusamajortaxburdenformillionsmore.There'salsothetopendoftheIQdistributiontoconsider

allthescientists,statesmen,entrepreneurs,inventorsandfreelancegeniuseswhowereneverborn,and
whosepositivecontributionswerenevermade.
Egalitarianism: Politically Correct, Scientifically Wrong
Clearly,dysgenicfertilityisanenormousthreattothehumanspecies.Sowhyisabsolutelynothingbeing
doneaboutit?Inaword,egalitarianism.Egalitarianismissimplythebeliefthatallpeoplearebornequalin
intelligence,character,talents,andeveryotherway,exceptfortrivialdifferencesinhaircolor,eyecolor,
andsoon.Ifeveryoneisbornexactlyequal,whatdifferencewoulddysgenicfertilitymake?
EgalitarianismistheideologytheWesternworldhasembracedsincetheendofWorldWarII.Immediately
thequestionarises,"Ifwe'reallbornequaloneverything,howdidweendupsodifferent?"Differencesare
saidtobecausedbyvariousenvironmentalfactors,andanykindofsocialproblemorpathologyissaidto
betheresultof"culturaldeprivation,""traumaticexperiences,""substandardhousing,"orthatubiquitous
archvillain,"society."
Egalitarianismissofundamentallyimplausiblethatit'shardtobelievethatmillionsofpeopleactually
believeit.Anyonewhohashadmorethanonechildunderstandsthattheyhavedifferentpersonalitiesfrom
thedaythey'reborn.Yetarecentpollfoundthatfewerthan1in5Americansbelievesgenesplayamajor
roleinhumanbehavior.Mostpeoplethoughtdrugaddiction,mentalillness,andhomosexualitywere
influencedbyhereditytoasmalldegree,butabout40%thoughtgenesplaynorolewhatsoever(U.S.News
andWorldReport,April21,1997,p.7280).
There'snotoneshredofscientificevidencetosupportegalitarianism,andthere'samountainofevidence
thatdisprovesit,butthatdoesn'tdeteregalitariansinthemediaandacademia,whogivethepretenseof
scientificlegitimacybypointingtostudiesthatreportassociationsbetweenonesocialpathologyand
another.Forexample:"Childrenwhogrowupinpoorneighborhoodstendtobecomecriminals."Onthis
basis,effortsaremadetobuildnicerhousingprojectsandspruceuptheslums,with(bigsurprise)noimpact

oncrime.It'sobvioustoanycasualobserverthatcorrelationsexistbetweenpoorenvironmentsand
pathologiesofvarioussorts.Butcorrelationdoesnotprovecausation!Roosterscrowatsunrise.Doesthis
meanroosterscausethesuntorise?Ifpovertyactuallycausescrime,shouldn'tthecrimeratehaveincreased
astronomicallyduringTheGreatDepression?Well,itdidn't.
Programsdesignedtosolvesocialproblemsbasedonegalitarianpropagandadisguisedasscienceare
universallyballyhooedatthebeginning.Despitehighhopes,loftyrhetoric,andtrulyenormous
expenditures,demonstrablebenefitshavebeentiny,transient,artifactual,ornonexistent.AidtoFamilies
WithDependentChildren(AFDC),themainwelfareprogramintheU.S.,wasintendedtoeliminatepoverty
andamelioratethehostofsocialproblemsassociatedwithit.Amajorstudyofitseffectsreportedthatithas
actuallymadetheproblemsitwasintendedtosolveworse,whilecostingtaxpayersbillions(Murray,1986).
HeadStartwasbeguninordertoraisetheIQsofdisadvantagedghettochildrenbyprovidingthemwithan
"enriched"earlyenvironment,yettherehavebeennolastingIQgains.Somehowitsoriginalpurposehas
beenforgotten,it'slaudedasagreat"success,"anditgrowseverlargerandmoreexpensive.
"Superstition Ain't the Way"
Weoftenfeelasmug,selfsatisfiedsuperioritywhenwereadaboutfolliesofthepast,suchastheSalem
witchtrials,theInquisition,bizarremedicalpractices,suchaslettingbloodorapplyingleechestocure
disease.Oldfilmsofman'searlyattemptsatflightareguaranteedtogetalaugh.Buthowdoweknowthat
weourselvesarenot,atthisverymoment,inthegripsofonestaggeringlystupiddelusionwhichwillmake
uslooklikefoolstopeopleinthefuture?Howembarrassing!Itwouldn'tbefarfetchedtosay
egalitarianismisthemostprevalent"superstition"ofthe20thand21stcenturiesprobablyofalltimes
giventhatitisabeliefaboutcausalitywhichmillionsofpeopleaccept,forwhichthereisnoscientific
evidence,whichsciencehas,infact,disproved.Doesegalitarianismqualifyassuperstition?Webster'sNinth
CollegiateDictionarydefinessuperstitionas:
abelieforpracticeresultingfromignorance,fearoftheunknown,trustinmagicorchance,ora

falseconceptionofcausation...anotionmaintaineddespiteevidencetothecontrary

ApopularsongbyStevieWonderentitled"Superstition"containslyricsthatgolikethis:"Whenyou
believeinthingsthatyoudon'tunderstand,thenyousuffer.Superstitionain'ttheway!"Thissumsupour
situationquitenicely.TheWesternworldhasaccepteduncriticallyahugeamountofmisinformationabout
humannature,andasaresultofour"megasuperstition,"we'recausingourselves,andallourdescendants,
"megasuffering."Wesquandervastamountsoftime,effort,andmoneyonmisguidedprogramswhenall
thewhileourinnateintelligence,theveryfoundationforourcivilizationandwellbeing,issilentlyand
steadilyslippingaway.
Three Factors
WhyistheWesternworldinthegripsofsuchavastillusion?Forthousandsofyearseveryonetookitfor
grantedthatsomepeoplearebornsmarterthanotherssimplybecauseit'ssoobviouslytrue.Eveninthe
earlydecadesofthe20thcentury,egalitarianismwouldhavebeenlaughedat,andeugenicswaswidely
acceptedbyprominentpeoplewhoseviewsspannedtheentirepoliticalspectrum.Tolistjustafew
proponents:GeorgeBernardShaw,CharlesDarwin,MargaretSanger,H.G.Wells,FrancisGalton(who
coinedtheterm"eugenics"),TheodoreRoosevelt,OliverWendellHolmes,AlexanderGrahamBell,Charles
Lindbergh,andWinstonChurchill.JulianHuxleydescribedeugenicsas"ofalloutletsforaltruism,that
whichismostcomprehensiveandoflongestrange."Yettoday,eugenicsisconsideredtheultimateformof
cruelty!WhyideasgoinandoutoffashionissomethingIdon'tfullyunderstand.However,beloware3
factorswhichprobablyenterintothisparticularaboutfaceinpublicopinion:
(1)AfterWorldWarII,thesalientbeliefsofthevanquishedcountrieswereuniversallyrejected.Hitler
stronglyadvocatedeugenics,thoughnotinthesamewayeugenicistsdotoday.(HitleropposedIQtestson
thegroundsthattheywere"Jewish.")Genetics,behavior,andracecametoberegardedasunsavorytopics.
TheeugenicsmovementoriginatedinBritainandtheUnitedStates,and27othercountriesbesides
Germanyenactedeugenicslegislationduringthesameperiodandneithergenocidenoranythingelse

dreadfulhappenedinthosecountries,sonoremotelyreasonablecasecanbemadethateugenicscauses
genocide.TheCommuniststooktheoppositeviewthattheenvironmentisallimportantandgenetics
countsfornothingyettheymurderedfarmorepeoplethantheNazis.Nevertheless,nomatterhowunfair,
eugenicshasbecomestigmatizedbecauseit'sassociatedinthemindsofmanywithHitler.
(2)PublicopinionintheWesternworldislargelyshapedbyjournalists(who,itshouldbepointedout,bear
muchoftheblameforpromotingthisunfairassociationwithHitler).Countlessstudieshavefoundthat
journaliststendtobefarmoreliberalpoliticallythanthegeneralpopulation.Amonguniversitystudents,
businessandhardsciencemajorstendtobethemostconservativepolitically,andliteratureandjournalism
studentsthemostliberal,suggestingaselfselectionamongstudentswhoenterthefieldofjournalism.In
otherwords,peoplewhoareattractedtojournalism,forwhateverreason,tendtobeliberalbytemperament.
Alongwiththeliberaljournalists,Marxistacademicswithadmittedlypoliticalagendashavecontributed
quitesubstantiallytopromotingegalitarianpropaganda.
SnydermanandRothman(1988)comparedwhatwasreportedaboutIQonTV,innewspapers,andin
magazinestowhatscientistsdoingresearchonIQactuallysaidaboutit.Theyfoundthatthemedia
consistentlygaveextremelybiasedaccounts,suggestingthatIQdidn'treallymeasureanythingimportant,
thatitwas"culturallybiased,"andthatmostexpertsonIQagreedwithsuchassertions,when,infact,most
expertsdisagreedwiththeseassertions.
Ontheissueofrace,themediahavefailedutterlyintheirresponsibilitytoreportscientificfindingstothe
public.Actually,it'sfarworsethan"failingintheirresponsibilitytoreportthefacts,"becausethatwould
implythattheywereabitlackadaisical,orthattheyjustdidn'tdoalltheyshouldhavedone.Inreality,the
mediahaveblatantlyliedtothepublic,andthishasbeengoingonfordecades.Tosome,"blatantlylied"
maysoundlikeinflammatoryrhetoric,butIwouldrespondbysayingthatthereisproofoftheirdeception,
andIwouldask"Whatkindofflagrantdishonestyarewereservingtheterm'blatantlyliedto'that'ssomuch
worsethanthis?"Onewouldbehardpressedtothinkofanythingmoreegregious.SnydermanandRothman

(1988)foundthatthemajorityofscientistswhodoresearchonIQbelievespartoftheblackwhite
differenceinIQisgenetic.Byanalyzinghundredsofmediareports,theyalsofoundthatthemedia
overwhelminglyportraythisviewasoneheldonlybyafewscrewballs.
ThismassivedisinformationcampaignaboutIQ,genetics,andracehasbeenwagedbyliberaljournalists
andMarxistacademicsagainsttheWesternworldsincethe1950s.Likeanoctopuswithfarreaching
tentacles,it'swreckedhavocinamultitudeofways,nottheleastofwhichisthatit'smadeitimpossible
eventohaveaseriouspublicdebateabouteugenics,anobviousprerequisitetoimplementingaeugenics
program.SuchwholesaledishonestymightbeexpectedunderaCommunistregime,butforthistotake
placeindemocraticsocietiescriesoutforanexplanation.
(3)Tofullyunderstandwhyegalitarianismreignssupremeandeugenicshasbeenmadeintoataboosubject,
thistopicmustbeviewedaspartofthelargerZeitgeistwhichalsoincludesobeisanceto"diversity"and
"multiculturalism,"reversediscrimination,attacksonChristianity,supportforruinousimmigrationpolicies,
promotionofpromiscuityandhomosexuality,advocacyofmiscegenation,andmoralrelativism,muchof
whichcanbesubsumedundertherubricofPoliticalCorrectness.Didthispervasivebeliefsystemjust
"happen,"liketheweather,ordidpeoplemakeithappen?Ifthelatter,who,andwhy?
Whenaseriouscrimeiscommitted,thefirstquestionadetectiveislikelytoaskconcernsmotive,i.e.,"Who
benefits?"Likewise,onemightreasonablyask,"Whobenefitsfromthisdishonestanddestructive
Zeitgeist?"It'sanextraordinarilyinterestingandimportanttopic,butunfortunately,unravelingthisissue
anyfurtherisbeyondthescopeofthispaper.InsteadIwillreferthereadertoKevinMacDonald'sbrilliant
book,TheCultureofCritique(1998),thesourceforanswersabouttheZeitgeistandthehiddenagenda
behindit.MacDonaldmakesashockingcase,butonewhichiswelldocumentedandcompelling.
Conclusion
Theresultsofonelarge,highlyrespectedstudyofmentalretardationillustratethepotentialpowerforgood

ofeugenics.Twopercentofthesamplewereretarded,andtheyproduced36%ofthenextgenerationof
retardates(ReedandReed,1965).Clearly,ifthat2%hadnothadchildren,mentalretardationwouldhave
beenreducedby36%inonegenerationinthatgroup.Withonlyslightmodification,thesefigurescanbe
appliedtothegeneralpopulation.Iftheretardedweregivensufficientcashorotherincentivestoadopt
permanentbirthcontrol,mentalretardationcouldbecutbyapproximately1/3injustonegeneration.Thisis
onlyoneamongmanypossibleeugenicmeasures,butthisstepalonewouldsignificantlyalleviateallsocial
problems,preventagooddealofchildabuseandneglect(theretardedmakeverypoorparents),providea
bigboosttotheeconomy,andcausethe"miseryquotient"toplummet.
Egalitarianstakeacircuitousroutetosolvingsocialproblemstheykeeptryingtochangepeopleby
alteringtheirenvironments.Despitewitnessingtheirabysmalstringoffailures,ournaturaldesireto
alleviatesufferingandimprovetheworldpersists.Thisdesirefindsnewhopeineugenicsbasedonscience,
notpropagandaandwishfulthinking.Eugenicstakesthedirectroute.Itholdstheuniquepotentialof
actuallycreatingabetterworld,ofmakingprofound,concrete,lastingimprovementsin"thehuman
condition"byimprovinghumanbeingsthemselves.
IwouldliketothankChrisBrandforhishelpfulcommentsonthemanuscript.
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