Will Eugenics Be Universally Established by 2100 According to Nikola Tesla?

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In summary, Nikola Tesla, a renowned inventor and scientist, made predictions for the year 2100 in which he believed eugenics would be universally established. He argued that the new sense of pity in humanity has interfered with the natural process of survival of the fittest, resulting in the continued existence and breeding of the unfit. He suggested that sterilization and control of the mating instinct would be necessary to prevent the propagation of undesirable traits. This idea, while not widely accepted in modern times, was a popular belief in the early 20th century and was practiced in some European countries and American states. However, it has since been deemed a violation of human rights and has a dark history, being used as a defense in the
  • #1
BWV
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another god with feet of clay...

http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/paleofuture/2012/11/nikola-tesla-the-eugenicist-eliminating-undesirables-by-2100/

The February 9, 1935 issue of Liberty magazine includes many other fascinating predictions by Tesla for the future of humanity, which we’ll no doubt look at in the weeks ahead. But for the time being I’ve transcribed only the eugenics portion of Tesla’s predictions below, to remind us that we should be cautious when making gods of men:

The year 2100 will see eugenics universally established. In past ages, the law governing the survival of the fittest roughly weeded out the less desirable strains. Then man’s new sense of pity began to interfere with the ruthless workings of nature. As a result, we continue to keep alive and to breed the unfit. The only method compatible with our notions of civilization and the race is to prevent the breeding of the unfit by sterilization and the deliberate guidance of the mating instinct. Several European countries and a number of states of the American Union sterilize the criminal and the insane. This is not sufficient. The trend of opinion among eugenists is that we must make marriage more difficult. Certainly no one who is not a desirable parent should be permitted to produce progeny. A century from now it will no more occur to a normal person to mate with a person eugenically unfit than to marry a habitual criminal.
 
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  • #2
What about it?
 
  • #3
Drakkith said:
What about it?

what about what? thought it was an interesting article, particularly with the near canonization of Tesla in popular culture, such as this piece:

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/tesla
 
  • #4
Yes, many famous people in history have skeletons in their closet if you will.
 
  • #5
See also:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugenics_in_the_United_States

"Some states sterilized "imbeciles" for much of the 20th century. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the 1927 Buck v. Bell case that the state of Virginia could sterilize those it thought unfit. Although compulsory sterilization is now considered an abuse of human rights, Buck v. Bell was never overturned, and Virginia did not repeal its sterilization law until 1974."

Skeletons, as said, just not mentioned frequently.
 
  • #6
Yes, a largely forgotten history, how American eugenics was at the forefront of the progressive movement and was an inspiration to the Nazi eugenics program. The defense at the Nuremburg trials used buck v bell to argue that the allies were being hypocritical prosecuting nazi war criminals for practices which existed in the US.
 
  • #7
BWV said:
Yes, a largely forgotten history, how American eugenics was at the forefront of the progressive movement and was an inspiration to the Nazi eugenics program. The defense at the Nuremburg trials used buck v bell to argue that the allies were being hypocritical prosecuting nazi war criminals for practices which existed in the US.

Well we are, after all, a nation founded on hypocrisy (All men are created equal ... unless they're black) so they they should have known we wouldn't take that defense seriously.
 
  • #8
phinds said:
Well we are, after all, a nation founded on hypocrisy (All men are created equal ... unless they're black) so they they should have known we wouldn't take that defense seriously.
The former was stated as you say in 1776 which may have been hypocritical, but then it was stated atop the four proceeding millennia of governing philosophies holding that nobody was created equal to those borne to rule. The latter incidence of the Nuremburg trial was in 1945 after the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments and 600,000 dead in a war to right the prior wrong. A fair take on the history would be that the principal of equal creation is taken quite seriously my Americans.
 
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  • #9
Drakkith said:
Yes, many famous people in history have skeletons in their closet if you will.
That euphemism indicates something hidden by the subject. Tesla's eugenics claims were not, even if they were ignored by his later god makers.

Another scientist with similar feet of clay: Shockley

William_Shockley%2C_Stanford_University.jpg
 
  • #10
I'm not certain he was expressing his personal opinion - other than in making the prediction - which has another 87 years to be proved true or false. Might this comment be out of context and only an analysis of a eugenics position?
 
  • #11
enosis_ said:
I'm not certain he was expressing his personal opinion - other than in making the prediction - which has another 87 years to be proved true or false. Might this comment be out of context and only an analysis of a eugenics position?
To me, it definitely reads as if he's advocating it.
 
  • #12
mheslep said:
The former was stated as you say in 1776 which may have been hypocritical, but then it was stated atop the four proceeding millennia of governing philosophies holding that nobody was created equal to those borne to rule. The latter incidence of the Nuremburg trial was in 1945 after the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments and 600,000 dead in a war to right the prior wrong. A fair take on the history would be that the principal of equal creation is taken quite seriously my Americans.

But how would that go with eugenics?
 
  • #13
mheslep said:
The former was stated as you say in 1776 which may have been hypocritical, but then it was stated atop the four proceeding millennia of governing philosophies holding that nobody was created equal to those borne to rule. The latter incidence of the Nuremburg trial was in 1945 after the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments and 600,000 dead in a war to right the prior wrong. A fair take on the history would be that the principal of equal creation is taken quite seriously my Americans.

Yes, I agree actually, I just don't like our early hypocrisy on blacks, women, native Americans, Asians, and so forth.

My own take is that America is in many ways a truly disgusting country, seriously flawed, but has as its main redeaming virtue the fact that it is by far the best the world has ever seen.
 
  • #14
zoobyshoe said:
To me, it definitely reads as if he's advocating it.

I'll admit the bloggers post sounds that way - but I'd like to see the original quotes.
 
  • #15
enosis_ said:
I'll admit the bloggers post sounds that way - but I'd like to see the original quotes.
What was posted at the Smithsonian link is presented as the original quote from Tesla, taken verbatim from the article:

Tesla said:
The year 2100 will see eugenics universally established. In past ages, the law governing the survival of the fittest roughly weeded out the less desirable strains. Then man’s new sense of pity began to interfere with the ruthless workings of nature. As a result, we continue to keep alive and to breed the unfit. The only method compatible with our notions of civilization and the race is to prevent the breeding of the unfit by sterilization and the deliberate guidance of the mating instinct. Several European countries and a number of states of the American Union sterilize the criminal and the insane. This is not sufficient. The trend of opinion among eugenists is that we must make marriage more difficult. Certainly no one who is not a desirable parent should be permitted to produce progeny. A century from now it will no more occur to a normal person to mate with a person eugenically unfit than to marry a habitual criminal.

It's not a paraphrase or digest. The blog author refers to it as a 'transcription', which implies he copied it verbatim from the magazine with the Tesla interview.
 

What is the controversy surrounding Nikolai Tesla and eugenics?

There is a controversy surrounding Nikolai Tesla's views on eugenics, which is the belief in improving the human race through controlled breeding. While Tesla did express some support for eugenics, he also had conflicting views and never actively promoted it.

Did Nikolai Tesla actively participate in eugenics programs?

No, there is no evidence that Tesla actively participated in any eugenics programs. While he did express some support for eugenics, he never actively promoted or participated in any programs related to it.

What did Nikolai Tesla believe about eugenics?

Tesla believed that eugenics could potentially improve the human race, but he also had concerns about the potential for abuse and emphasized the importance of individual liberty and free will.

How have Tesla's views on eugenics been interpreted by others?

Tesla's views on eugenics have been interpreted in different ways by different people. Some argue that he was a supporter of eugenics, while others argue that he had nuanced views and was not a strong advocate for it.

How do Tesla's views on eugenics fit into his overall legacy?

Tesla's views on eugenics should be considered as one aspect of his complex and multifaceted legacy. While it is important to acknowledge and discuss his views on eugenics, they should not overshadow his significant contributions to science and technology.

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