‘Whether it be in character, disposition, energy, intellect, or physical power, we each receive at our birth a definite endowment.’
This volume is a collection of essays by Francis Galton focusing on the study of eugenics. A pioneering figure in the development of genetics and statistics, Galton sought to apply these scientific methods to the development of the human race. These essays are provocative and historically significant, offering insights into the scientific and moral beliefs of the Victorian era. Galton’s theories on eugenics have long been disregarded, but the debates regarding nature, nurture, and the ethical boundaries of human improvement that arose from his theories continue to this day.
Francis Galton was an English anthropologist who made important contributions to behavioural genetics and statistics. He was the originator of eugenics, a theory that made him a highly controversial figure.