I'm currently reading The Book of Learning and Forgetting and I just hit page 62... which is by far the most shocking thing I've read thus far:
There was a eugenics movement (eugenics means "the production of fine offspring") in the early 1900's and probably still is... that was largely run by Charles Darwin's half cousin Francis Galton (seen here).
He believed that IQ was based entirely on genetics and that those with high intelligences (generally upper class) should propagate only among their class. He believed that those who had low intelligences should then be segregated from the upper class so that they would not "cross" and propagate with one another... spreading the lower IQ.
This was spurred by the study of why generally intelligent, wealthy families produce less children while those families of little wealth produce more children. It was said that eventually, the poor would reign and the higher intelligence would in a sense, be washed away... and that needed to be changed.
Their answer to this was that those who are poor (monetarily) and make poor (bad) judgements should also be sterilized, in addition to those women who are promiscuous. In addition, it was encouraged that those of lower intelligence should also be sterilized. Broken families should have parent sterilization to prevent further "mistakes" of child care payments, etc.
Anyone else outraged by this? I know the author is against this... seeing as how he doesn't believe in testing or that children of one intelligence or another are of a higher status.
I can't say that I completely buy his viewpoint -- I do believe that learning might require some effort (if it's difficult to understand and we really want to learn it) but I also agree that there needs to be an education reform that does not revolve around tests. I also believe that we learn constantly and with little effort... but again, I believe that some things are more difficult to understand and I work harder to learn them (willingly... he seems to place a negative emphasis on forcing yourself = effort to learn something is not learning at all).
Correct me if I'm wrong, go ahead. :)
There was a eugenics movement (eugenics means "the production of fine offspring") in the early 1900's and probably still is... that was largely run by Charles Darwin's half cousin Francis Galton (seen here).
He believed that IQ was based entirely on genetics and that those with high intelligences (generally upper class) should propagate only among their class. He believed that those who had low intelligences should then be segregated from the upper class so that they would not "cross" and propagate with one another... spreading the lower IQ.
This was spurred by the study of why generally intelligent, wealthy families produce less children while those families of little wealth produce more children. It was said that eventually, the poor would reign and the higher intelligence would in a sense, be washed away... and that needed to be changed.
Their answer to this was that those who are poor (monetarily) and make poor (bad) judgements should also be sterilized, in addition to those women who are promiscuous. In addition, it was encouraged that those of lower intelligence should also be sterilized. Broken families should have parent sterilization to prevent further "mistakes" of child care payments, etc.
Anyone else outraged by this? I know the author is against this... seeing as how he doesn't believe in testing or that children of one intelligence or another are of a higher status.
I can't say that I completely buy his viewpoint -- I do believe that learning might require some effort (if it's difficult to understand and we really want to learn it) but I also agree that there needs to be an education reform that does not revolve around tests. I also believe that we learn constantly and with little effort... but again, I believe that some things are more difficult to understand and I work harder to learn them (willingly... he seems to place a negative emphasis on forcing yourself = effort to learn something is not learning at all).
Correct me if I'm wrong, go ahead. :)
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