Eugenics

Eugenics is a social philosophy which advocates the improvement of human hereditary traits through social intervention. The goals have variously been to create more intelligent people, save society resources, lessen human suffering and reduce health problems. Proposed means of achieving these goals most commonly include birth control, selective breeding, and genetic engineering. Critics argue eugenics has been applied as a pseudoscience, that it has a potential for objectifiying human characteristics and note that historically it has been a means whereby social thinking culminated in coercive state-sponsored discrimination and human rights violations, even genocide.

Eugenics in popular culture

Eugenics is recurrent theme in science fiction (often dystopian) - the novel Brave New World by Aldous Huxley explores the theme in depth, as well as the more recent (and up-to-date on the science) movie Gattaca, whose plot turns around genetic engineering and genetic testing. Boris Vian (under the pseudonym Vernon Sullivan) takes a more light-hearted approach in his novel Et on tuera tous les affreux.

Related Topics:
Science fiction - Dystopian - Brave New World - Aldous Huxley - Gattaca - Genetic engineering - Genetic testing - Boris Vian

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Other novels touching upon the subject include The Gate to Women's Country by Sheri S. Tepper and That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis. The Eugenics Wars are a significant part of the background story of the Star Trek universe. Eugenics are also a significant part of the plot of the James Bond movie Moonraker.

Related Topics:
The Gate to Women's Country - Sheri S. Tepper - That Hideous Strength - C.S. Lewis - Eugenics Wars - Star Trek - James Bond - Moonraker

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There tends to be an eugenic undercurrent in the science fiction concept of the supersoldier. Several depictions of these supersoldiers usually have them bred for combat or are genetically selected for attributes that are beneficial to modern or future combat.

Related Topics:
Science fiction - Supersoldier

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See also Genetic engineering in fiction.

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