280 Heredity and Environment 



has been growing that good environment is far less important 

 than good heredity and that in some way society must influence 

 the race of men at its source. This is the doctrine of eugenics, 

 which Galton defines as follows : 



The science of improving stock, which is by no means confined 

 to questions of judicious mating but which, especially in the case 

 of man, takes cognizance of all influences that tend in however 

 remote a degree to give to the more suitable races or strains of 

 blood a better chance of prevailing speedily over the less suitable 

 than they otherwise would have had. ("Inquiries into Human 

 Faculty.") 



Fortunately or unfortunately the methods which breeders use 

 cannot be rigidly applied in the case of man. It is possible for 

 breeders to eliminate from reproduction all except the very best 

 stocks, and this is really essential if evolution is to be guided in 

 a definite direction. If only the very worst are eliminated in each 

 generation, the standard of a race is merely maintained, but the 

 more severe the elimination is the more does it become a directing 

 factor in evolution. In the case of man, however, even the most 

 enthusiastic eugenicists have never proposed to cut off from the 

 possibility of reproduction all human stocks except the very best, 

 and if only the very worst stocks are thus eliminated, we must 

 face the conclusion that practically all that can be accomplished 

 will be to preserve the race at its present level. It is impossible, 

 then, to apply rigidly to man the methods of animal and plant 

 breeders. Society cannot be expected to eliminate from reproduc- 

 tion all but the very best lines. The great majority of mankind 

 cannot be expected voluntarily to efface itself. The most that 

 can be hoped for in this direction is that the great mediocre major- 

 ity may eliminate from reproduction a very small minority of the 

 worst individuals. 



Furthermore, other and perhaps even more serious objections 

 to the views of extreme eugenicists are to be found in human 

 ideals of morality. Even for the laudable purpose of producing 

 a race of supermen, mankind will probably never consent to be 



