#750 Adam Rutherford - Control: The Dark History and Troubling Present of Eugenics
RECORDED ON FEBRUARY 8th 2023.
Dr. Adam Rutherford is Lecturer in Biology and Society at University College London’s Department of Genes, Evolution, and Environment, and President of Humanists UK. His interests are in evolution, genetics and developmental biology, and the history of biology. He has written extensively on Darwin, the development of evolutionary theory, the Modern Synthesis, early microscopy, synthetic biology and genetic engineering, behavioral ecology, gene-culture co-evolution, human evolution, and ancient DNA. He is the author of several books, including Control: The Dark History and Troubling Present of Eugenics.
In this episode, we focus on Control. We start by discussing what eugenics is, and how old it is as an ideology. We discuss if it makes sense to talk about “good” and “bad” traits in evolutionary biology, and the importance of genetic diversity. We talk about medical interventions. We get into eugenics in the early 20th century, and how widespread it was in the West. We talk about how some geneticists contributed to eugenics. We discuss the concept of “race”. We talk about behavior genetics, and group differences. We also get into eugenics in contemporary academia and politics, and talk about the “great replacement theory” conspiracy theory. Finally, we discuss if we should be worried about genetic engineering.
Time Links:
Intro
What is eugenics, and how old is it as an ideology?
Does it make sense to talk about “good traits” and “bad traits”?
The importance of genetic diversity
Are medical interventions also a form of eugenics?
Eugenics in the early 20th century, and how widespread it was in the West
How some geneticists contributed to eugenics
The concept of “race”
Behavior genetics, and group differences
Eugenics in the present day, and the “great replacement theory” conspiracy theory
Should we be worried about genetic engineering?
Follow Dr. Rutherford’s work!
Follow Dr. Rutherford’s work:
University page: http://bit.ly/3Jxz8on
Website: http://bit.ly/3RqIDHY
ResearchGate profile: https://bit.ly/3jr17LX
Control: https://bit.ly/3WZHvw3
Twitter handle: @AdamRutherford