

EUGENICS AND EDUCATION 



G. P. FRETS 



Rotterdam, Holland 



The subject eugenics and education may comprise: 



1. The principles which eugenics provide for education; 



2. The question: how shall we educate the population in eugenics; 



3. The results to be expected, and 



4. The place eugenics occupies in our views of life and the world. 

 A few words on all these points. 



The principles of education may be deduced from various philosophical 

 and scientific systems. For instance: 



For Schopenhauer the Kantian thing in itself is, as we know, will (der 

 Wille) and the will therefore is unchangeable, is beyond time and causality. 

 We see the will in the character of the individual. The character is un- 

 changeable. 



With Schopenhauer, therefore, education is of very limited importance. 

 His character is decisive for each human being. 



Goethe (in his Italienische Reise) also says: "Das Leben eines Menschen 

 ist sein Character" ("The life of a man is his character"). 



To mention another great philosopher: Bergson finds in evolution, the 

 creative evolution, the true reason for the existence of the world. For evolu- 

 tion duration is necessary. The importance of the duration is shown in our 

 life: we are always changing. The duration of life is not of indifference for 

 the value of our life. Our character is made, is formed in regard to our life. 



With Bergson, therefore, education occupies a large place in contrast to 

 what we saw with Schopenhauer. 



J. J. Rousseau begins his Emile with the words: "Tout est bien sortant 

 des mains de PAuteur des choses" (All has come right from the hands of the 

 Author of things"), and the French revolution premised that all people are 

 born alike. 



What principles does eugenics — which thus aims at the betterment of the 

 human race by promoting good births and reducing bad ones — place in the 

 problem of education? 



In order to indicate this, we will proceed from Quetelet who applied 

 statistics to human relations. 



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