Eugenics and other evils.

The debates surrounding reproductive medicine and the heritability of intelligence raise questions about the continuity of eugenic practices, that is, the optimization of human traits through the regulation of reproductive behavior. This program is closely linked to the Third Reich, forced sterilizations, and the extermination of "life unworthy of life." However, even before the onset of Nazi rule, authors like Aldous Huxley and Gilbert Keith Chesterton foresaw the dangers of eugenics. Chesterton's essay "Eugenics and Other Evils" highlights fundamental problems with eugenic thinking; it is now available in German for the first time. Thomas Lemke explains the historical context and demonstrates that Chesterton's warnings have lost none of their relevance.