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> only crazy woke leftists could possibly see postwar enthusiasm for the race science of literal Nazis Let's not forget that eugenics was not an exclusively ri
by Veen 5y ago
> only crazy woke leftists could possibly see postwar enthusiasm for the race science of literal Nazis
Let's not forget that eugenics was not an exclusively right-wing position. Many socialists were pro-eugenics: the Webbs, Shaw, C.P. Snow, Haldane, and many more. Eugenics was widely supported by many academics of all political stripes in the early 20th Century.
- Dma54rhs 5y agoAt some point eugenics was very much "progressive" way of thinking. People tend to forget that every old idea at some point was progressive and new, progress itself doesn't mean it will we judged right by future generations. Also its very much as alive right now - we abort the vast majority of fetuses with known birth defects, we just don't want to call it that. Doesn't matter your view of abortion but its difficult to argue against it.
- notahacker 5y agoSure, but he's not being called out for being one of many intellectuals subscribing to the once fashionable proto/pseudoscience of eugenics, he's being called out for enthusing about the Nazis desire to improve their stock in a postwar defence of a scientist charged with being a Nazi, which many more nuanced takes on his contribution to science acknowledge paint his views on "defectives" in an unflattering light even if we assume he was somewhat naive with that comment and certainly not as problematic as, say, Spearman. I have no idea what Fisher's wider politics were, but I have a pretty good idea of what the politics of the publication are.
- Veen 5y agoYes, but we don’t hear much from Cambridge about plans to remove the memorials of left-wing heroes who were eugenics supporters like Bertrand Russell. Just conservatives like Fisher.