Eugenics and Other Evils

by G. K. Chesterton

Overview

G K Chesterton wrote 'Eugenics and Other Evils' over 90 years ago, as a warning against the new 'science' of eugenics. It was a bold act at a time when US president Woodrow Wilson was an avid supporter of 'scientific breeding' and even Winston Churchill believed that "the multiplication of the feeble-minded cannot go on unchecked." Wielding his formidable insight and wit - and with remarkable prescience - Chesterton deconstructs the absurdities of the Eugenicist movement and points to its potential for ill-use, dangers which came to their full, terrible fruition in the Nazi destruction of the mentally ill and the horrors of the Holocaust. Despite its age, this is a surprisingly contemporary book. Modern-day Genetics, which offers tests claiming to reveal 'weaknesses' such as mental instability, susceptibility to illness, or a low IQ, make it plain that eugenic 'solutions' are even more plausible today than when Chesterton first wrote this timely and thought-provoking analysis.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781908388278
Publisher:	Aziloth Books
Publication date:	07/22/2011
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.27(d)

About the Author

British writer GILBERT KEITH CHESTERTON (1874-1936) expounded prolifically about his wide-ranging philosophies. A man of strong opinions, with a humorous style that earned him the title of the "prince of paradox," he is impossible to categorize as "liberal" or "conservative": he was a literary critic, historian, playwright, novelist, columnist, and poet. His thousands of essays and 80 books remain among the most beloved in the English language.

Table of Contents

To The Reader

PART ONE: THE FALSE THEORY

I What is Eugenics?

II The First Obstacles

III The Anarchy from Above

IV The Lunatic and the Law

V The Flying Authority

VI The Unanswered Challenge

VII The Established Church of Doubt

VIII A Summary of a False Theory

PART TWO: THE REAL AIM

I The Impotence of Impenitence

II True History of a Tramp

III True History of a Eugenist

IV The Vengeance of the Flesh

V The Meanness of the Motive

VI The Eclipse of Liberty

VII The Transformation of Socialism

VIII The End of the Household Gods

IX A Short Chapter