The Political Gene: How Darwin's Ideas Changed Politics

A fascinating examination of the way that many scientists and politicians have sought to use Charles Darwin's ideas to solve social problems, or to bolster political ideologiesCharles Darwin not only sparked a revolution in science, but gave birth to ideas that acquired a political dimension from the outset, one with a deeply troubling and ongoing impact. Social Darwinism, eugenics, and scientific racialismwhose adherents have all claimed Charles Darwin as their inspirationbecame associated with some of the darkest episodes in our recent past. This beautifully crafted narrative follows the thread of theory and the historical footprints left by a myriad cast of key characters to tell an often shocking and sometimes heartbreaking story. This book shows us what drove people to put a black man on display in a zoo, forcibly sterilize a pair of innocent teenage sisters, lock up a British girl for 18 years for a petty theft, murder disabled people in Nazi Germany, and slam shut America’s "Golden Door." In a world where the gene becomes ever more central, the fresh and stimulating arguments presented here make this an explosive, essential, and utterly intriguing book.