According to the “Oxford Learner’s Dictionary”, the term eugenics is defined as “the study of methods to improve the mental and physical characteristics of the human race by choosing who may become parents.” Eugenics, in theory, would improve humanity, by wiping out genetic diseases, or searching through DNA for indications of undesirable, inhumane traits, such as inclinations for violence. Although in concept eugenics may seem to be a practically sound procedure, in reality, the implementation of eugenics is not ethically sound, nor is it guaranteed to be safe. With the practice of genetic adjusting to eliminate disease, the physiological characteristics of generations to come would dramatically differ: less exposure to illness, less need …show more content…
There are those who would argue that the practice of eugenics would become an effort to overcome human nature itself. In the words of James E. Miller in “The Lesson of Eugenics: ‘Perfection’ Taken Too Far”, “...By what authority do we know what the perfect human code is? As imperfect creatures, how can we say there is a perfect race?” More importantly, there is the question of what could be...how can we know that with every supposed flaw “fixed” that we are not eliminating things that are truly good, or necessary, if nothing else? A key, but often viewed as cliché, example to consider is that of the situation of the Holocaust. It cannot be ignored that the intent behind the atrocities of the Nazi Party was for the sake of eugenics. Eugenics was used as justification for committing the genocide of an unimaginable number of innocent people, from the Jewish, to homosexuals and anyone in between, who did not deserve to have their lives threatened and stolen. Although the apparent reasoning behind the actions of the Nazi Party may have had good intentions in mind, it is evident that in the case of the horrific crimes against humanity known as the Holocaust, the ends certainly did not justify the