Extinctionof the SocialDarwinismCanard 241“dangerous.” In his opinion,to “thinkthata parentwoulddo thatshowshowfar our
cultureand societyhas fallen.Haven’t we learnedour lessonfromjust a generationago in
NaziGermany?Wherethis kindof... designingyourchildren?I mean,whatdoesthat
smackof?” Do I wantmy child“to haveblueeyes,blondhair?Do I wantmy childto have
a certainIQ? It’s eugenicsand we haveto say clearlyand now,‘We don’t engineerhuman
life.’”^57
EdwinBlackintroducesthatequivocationin his historyof eugenics,WarAgainstthe
Weak—the verysamebookin whichhe falselyincriminatesHerbertSpenceras governist
eugenics’ intellectualforefather.Rememberthat Black’s bookportraysgovernisteugenics,
not as whatit reallyis—governistprogressivismtakento its logicalconclusion.Nay,
Blackdepictseugenicsas a one-dimensionalcapitalistconspiracythat wealthyindustrial-
ists orchestratedto exterminatethe underprivileged.Alsobearin mindthatBlackcon-
ceivescapitalismto be a heartlesssystemof socialstratification.In this book’s conclusion,
Blackinfersthat in America’s nearfuture,germlinegeneticengineering,whichhe pejora-
tivelyterms“newgenics,” will mostlikelycommencein the mostlyfree marketplacethat
he considershorrid.He resultantlyconcludesthat boththe governisteugenicsof the past
andthe free-marketreprogeneticsof the futuremustbe equallyelitistandtherefore
malicious.Bio-technicians,he proclaims,“haveinheritedthe spoils” of the governisteu-
genicists’ “war againstthe weak.” He thengrievesthat germlinereprogenetics
willnot comecheap.Onlythe affluentwhocan... affordpersonalizedelectivehealth
carewill be ableto affordexpensivegeneticcorrection.Hence,economicclassis destined
to be associatedwithgeneticimprovement.If the genetically“corrected” andendowed
are favoredfor employment,insurance,creditand otherbenefitsto society,thenthat will
onlyincreasetheiradvantages.But overwhomwilltheseadvantagesbe gained?Those
whoworryabout“genelining,” “geneticghettos” and a “geneticunderclass” see a sharp
societalgulfloomingaheadto rivalthe currentinequitiesof healthcareandjudicial
systems.... Someof America’s leadingthinkerson geneticevolutionbelievethatwithin
a few hundredyears,the worldwill indeedbe dividedintothe “geneticallyendowed”—
or “GenRich” as somecall them—and thosewhowill servethem,almostlike the worker
beesDavenportenvisioned.... Thisis not the philosophyas muchas theraisond’êtreof
newgenics.Hereit wouldseemthat Blackis simplybadmouthinglaissezfaire.It doesnot takemuch
time,though,beforehe onceagainconflatesa marketeconomywitha societywhereina
plutocracypracticesgovernism.
Masssocialengineeringis still beingadvocatedby eminentvoicesin the geneticscommu-
nity.CelebratedgeneticistJamesWatson...tolda Britishfilmcrewin 2003,“If youare
reallystupid,I wouldcall that a disease.The lower10 per centwhoreallyhavedifficulty,
evenin elementaryschool,what’s the causeof it?... So I’d like to get rid of that,to help
the lower10 per cent.”...
Followingin the footstepsof Galton,whoonceamusedhimselfby plottingthe geograph-
ic distributionof prettywomenin England,Watsonalso toldthe filmcrew,“Peoplesay it
wouldbe terribleif we madeall girlspretty.I thinkit wouldbe great.”... Thatis nothing
less thana returnto the campaignto createa masterrace—but nowaidedby computers,
digitalcommunicationsand a globalizedcommercialinfrastructureto acceleratethe pro-
cess.^58It is particularlyeasyto smearWatsonas the leaderof a cabalof plutocratsconspiringto
resurrectgovernisteugenics.Indeed,the salesof Watson’s memoir,The DoubleHelix, from
1968 ontothe early1970shaveearnedhima net worthof at leastone millionU.S.dol-
lars.^59