Eugenics is generally seen as a relic of the past. An archaic idea that has been disproved and disposed of just like we have phrenology and blood letting. This is both correct and wrong in many ways.

Richard Dawkins managed to walk straight into that quagmire. He contributed to the debate by arguing that eugenics is bad but it is also something that is entirely possible. As with any argument on the internet this was automatically countered by someone in the most disingenuous of ways and no doubt some one has already called him a Nazi.

As was described in the tweet that set this all off; humans have engaged in varying forms of eugenics since the neolithic period or earlier. Many examples were given to counter the visceral reaction and objections by some. These were true thousands of years ago and are true today.

What is true today and applies directly to this controversy is human eugenics. Until recently there were national programs like the one child policy in China. On a smaller scale but more recent is is sterilization of prisoners, the disabled and other “undesirables”. Some of these cases even occurring in the last 10 years.

In less morally objectionable terms other forms of eugenics are going on around you through social interaction. Red hair is an example as are taller people. Both rely on social pressures to overcome the genetics involved and that causes the responsible genes to be unusually common. Nominally red hair is seen as desirable so those with the recessive trait reproduce which leads to more red haired people.

Ultimately what Dawkins said should have been a short lived spark of curiosity. Instead it was blown up as some one pushing forward outdated and obsolete ideas from a bigots prrivelege. None of this is right and only showed an degree of ignorance that is astonishing.

Relevant links:

The eugenics debate isn’t over – but we should be wary of people who claim it can fix social problems
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Dawkins tweets
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Tracking footprints of artificial selection in the dog genome
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Evolution of Corn
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Here's what 9,000 years of breeding has done to corn, peaches, and other crops
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Eugenics in Canada
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The Forgotten Lessons of the American Eugenics Movement
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Wiki: History of eugenics
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Are redheads going extinct?
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Wiki:Potsdam Giants
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