Great material here about a fascinating figure who seems lost to history! It always seems shocking to read how respectable eugenics used to be, but perhaps it’s worth remembering that people in the early twentieth century didn’t have the benefit if the hindsight we enjoy today. You’ve got to wonder how awful our own criminal-justice system is going to look to criminologists in a hundred years’ time…
Exactly! I think one of our motivations is a memento mori of sorts. To remember that plenty of what seems logical, reasonable, unchangeable today will be different. To also consider that there is plenty that we seem as normal that will leave people aghast.
I think our criminal justice system is one area where we are likely to see lots of changes and that many of our practices will shock our descendants.
Great material here about a fascinating figure who seems lost to history! It always seems shocking to read how respectable eugenics used to be, but perhaps it’s worth remembering that people in the early twentieth century didn’t have the benefit if the hindsight we enjoy today. You’ve got to wonder how awful our own criminal-justice system is going to look to criminologists in a hundred years’ time…
Exactly! I think one of our motivations is a memento mori of sorts. To remember that plenty of what seems logical, reasonable, unchangeable today will be different. To also consider that there is plenty that we seem as normal that will leave people aghast.
I think our criminal justice system is one area where we are likely to see lots of changes and that many of our practices will shock our descendants.