Genetic Determinism

Genetic determinism, also referred to as biological determinism, is the principle that attributes behavior to physiology or genes. This is highly associated with the “eugenic movement” (“insert link”) which was coined by Francis Galton, a British explorer and naturalist, in 1883. Eugenicists believe that those with good genes should be the ones to breed in the society to lessen social problems such as poverty, mental illnesses, and crime. In fact, sterilization laws were enforced to the deemed “genetically unfit” in the United States in the 1920s and in Germany in the 1930s.

Genetic determinism was used to advocate racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination.