Draper’s Millions: The Philanthropic Wellspring of Modern Race Science
By Angela Saini,
Undark
| 12. 16. 2022
In 1961, a new journal of ethnology and anthropology appeared on academic bookshelves. Nearly every page betrayed an obsession with racial differences.
“The few worthwhile contributions cannot justify the publication of the rest of the journal,” wrote the English anthropologist G. Ainsworth Harrison, spotting error after error. “None of the authors rigorously and objectively appraises the limitations of the tests he uses.” One article made the bizarre claim that Egypt — a country described as being made up of racial “hybrids” — was more “disease-ridden” as a result. “What is particularly insidious in a supposedly scientific journal is the use of words with overtones of moral judgment,” Harrison concluded.
What he didn’t know was that this was entirely by design. The journal had been founded by a tight web of far-right thinkers intent on blocking racial integration in the United States, ending immigration from everywhere but Western Europe, and promoting eugenic policies that would encourage only those they believed were the fittest to survive and reproduce. They were relying on the naivete of fellow researchers, using academia as cover so... see more
Related Articles
Gene therapy has been the next big thing in medicine for decades. Until recent years, the results were underwhelming. Now there are promising developments and real successes, but significant questions remain: Is it safe enough? How many people might benefit, and under what conditions? And, crucially, how much will gene therapies cost and who will pay?
It has been more than 50 years since gene therapy was formally proposed; more than 40 years since the first scandal; more than 30...
By Matthew Gault and Jordan Pearson, Vice | 01.12.2023
Nick Bostrom, an influential philosopher at the University of Oxford who has been called the “father” of the longtermism movement, has apologized for a racist email he sent in the mid-90s. In the email, Bostrom said that “Blacks are...
By Gina Kolata, The New York Times | 01.17.2023
Photo by ANIRUDH on Unsplash
Terry Jackson lives a life dominated by sickle cell disease. The genetic disorder, in which misshapen red cells become wedged in blood vessels, causes him daily bone pain and lower back pain and has sent...
By CGS Staff
| 01.14.2023
Photo by Isabela Kronemberger on Unsplash
Throughout 2022, CGS worked to deepen and expand collaborations with advocates and scholars concerned about the social justice implications of a range of human biotechnologies, with a major focus on the alarming prospect of using genome editing in human reproduction. We also organized and sponsored public events; curated, analyzed, and commented on news related to human genetics and assisted reproduction, both in media outlets and in our own newsletter and social media; and conducted...
