My thesis focuses on post-World War II eugenics, specifically revolving around the well-known geneticist and eugenicist, Hermann J. Muller. By the 1950s, academic support for eugenics had faded. Refinements in genetics, new sociological and anthropological theories, and reaction to eugenic atrocities significantly undermined the feasibility or acceptability of eugenic programs, particularly in the United States. However, during the 1950s and into the mid-1960s, Hermann J. Muller and other prominent geneticists continued to promote eugenic principles. I posit that previous histories of post-World War II eugenics have inadequately explained the significance of H. J. Muller?s eugenics. The rapid progress during the first half of the twentieth century and advances such as the discovery of DNA caused scientific optimism to flourish during the 1950s. Rather than racism or bigotry, scientific optimism motivated H. J. Muller and others to offer eugenics as a viable option for human betterment. Muller and his supporters maintained a strong belief in the power of the gene. Their crucial role in defining the gene, its heredity capacity, and its very conceptual nature, reinforced the belief that the gene was the basis of all life, and at some level, represented the root of all biological and psychological expressions. To Muller and his supporters, the deterministic nature of the gene allowed them to believe that ultimately, if one could manipulate the gene, then one could alter the direction of human evolution, while remaining true to progressive ideals.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:NCSU/oai:NCSU:etd-07122006-104029 |
| Date | 13 July 2006 |
| Creators | Crowe, Nathan Paul |
| Contributors | Edith Sylla, Steven Vincent, William Kimler |
| Publisher | NCSU |
| Source Sets | North Carolina State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/theses/available/etd-07122006-104029/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to NC State University or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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