Breed Quote by Nikola Tesla
““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.””
About This Quote
Source Speech: Public lecture on eugenics, 1900s, null
Advocates forced sterilization and marriage restrictions to eliminate perceived undesirable traits, reflecting eugenic ideology.
In simple terms: Promotes controlling reproduction to improve humanity.
Key Takeaway
Consider ethical implications of eugenics.
Themes
eugenics
ethics
social engineering
human rights
Mood
controversial
somber
critical
Type
historical
political
ethical
When to use this quote
- public policy
- bioethics debates
- historical analysis
- education curricula
Key Concepts
genetic determinism
state control
moral philosophy
Questions to Reflect On
- What are the moral limits of influencing human reproduction?
- How can societies balance scientific progress with individual freedoms?
A Different Perspective
Raises concerns about human rights violations and scientific uncertainty.
![“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. [...] The trend of opinion among eugenists is that we must make marriage more difficult. Certainly no one who is not…” quote by Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/6b5/nikola-tesla-1383_breeding_the-only-method-compatible-with-our-noti_2169780.jpg)
![“[Vestiges begins] from principles which are at variance with all sober inductive truth. The sober facts of geology shuffled, so as to play a rogue's game; phrenology (that sinkhole of human folly and prating coxcombry); spontaneous generation; transmutation of species; and I know not what; all to…” quote by Adam Sedgwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/76d/adam-sedgwick-38188_breeding_vestiges-begins-from-principles-which-ar_743932.jpg)
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