Sep 30, 2026 · 31 min · 11 segments
Turning the lens on the history of genetics itself, we talk to authors of an article examining its historical relationship with the eugenics movement, which promoted the since discredited idea that…
Sarah GoodacreGuestMaria KiladiGuestMike PointerHostPerhaps as a jumping off point then, we could start with a definition of what eugenics is.
Um, to begin with, I mean, I guess a modern kind of a definition of eugenics could be, you know, this idea that we can somehow improve the populations in a genetic way, um, by kind of erasing traits that we think are not desirable or that we don't want anymore.
And, um, what I also wanted to add on what Alex just discussed as well, I mean, this idea of essentially revisiting histories, especially when it comes to institutions, is not really to point blame or it's not anything else than what exactly Alex especially, um, described as, you know, an exploration.
A way of starting conversations as well and to also reflect and essentially, I mean, from my point of view, quite important as well to enable people to have a starting point to reflect themselves, because not everybody has actually this opportunity, um, to be able to, [inhales] um, you know, explore institutional histories because that, um, means access.
But eugenics is not only, um, an idea, it's also a historical movement that did happen, right? Um, it's, it's a, a social political movement, a c- a community of like-minded people who came together to try to get eugenic policies enacted, who tried to, um, uh, increase the eugenic knowledge and, uh, and eugenic zeal of the population.
Um, and then there's also, I suppose, very in some ways closely related but also distinct, there's eugenics as a- A science or, or a, a would-be science or a once was science.
So many eugenicists, some of whom were involved in the political arm of the movement, were, were scientists and were attempting to carve out for eugenics a space in the kind of disciplinary landscape of sciences in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Um, and so to a certain extent, eugenics did manage to get a foothold in the academy, um, in Britain as well as in other places.
So, so you got sort of eugenics, the idea, which is certainly still around, um, uh, perhaps under different names in some cases.
You got eugenics, the organized social political movement, lobbying, pressuring for eugenic policy.
And you've also got this idea that the founders of eugenics, Francis Galton and others, were very hopeful of to, for a science of eugenics, uh, the academic, um, institutional study of this subject matter.
Perhaps as a jumping off point then, we could start with a definition of what eugenics is.
Um, to begin with, I mean, I guess a modern kind of a definition of eugenics could be, you know, this idea that we can somehow improve the populations in a genetic way, um, by kind of erasing traits that we think are not desirable or that we don't want anymore.
And, um, what I also wanted to add on what Alex just discussed as well, I mean, this idea of essentially revisiting histories, especially when it comes to institutions, is not really to point blame or it's not anything else than what exactly Alex especially, um, described as, you know, an exploration.
A way of starting conversations as well and to also reflect and essentially, I mean, from my point of view, quite important as well to enable people to have a starting point to reflect themselves, because not everybody has actually this opportunity, um, to be able to, [inhales] um, you know, explore institutional histories because that, um, means access.
But eugenics is not only, um, an idea, it's also a historical movement that did happen, right? Um, it's, it's a, a social political movement, a c- a community of like-minded people who came together to try to get eugenic policies enacted, who tried to, um, uh, increase the eugenic knowledge and, uh, and eugenic zeal of the population.
Um, and then there's also, I suppose, very in some ways closely related but also distinct, there's eugenics as a- A science or, or a, a would-be science or a once was science.
So many eugenicists, some of whom were involved in the political arm of the movement, were, were scientists and were attempting to carve out for eugenics a space in the kind of disciplinary landscape of sciences in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Um, and so to a certain extent, eugenics did manage to get a foothold in the academy, um, in Britain as well as in other places.
So, so you got sort of eugenics, the idea, which is certainly still around, um, uh, perhaps under different names in some cases.
You got eugenics, the organized social political movement, lobbying, pressuring for eugenic policy.
And you've also got this idea that the founders of eugenics, Francis Galton and others, were very hopeful of to, for a science of eugenics, uh, the academic, um, institutional study of this subject matter.
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