Eugenic thought and practice swept the world from the late nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century in a remarkable transnational phenomenon. Eugenics informed social and scientific policy across the political spectrum; from liberal welfare measures in emerging social-democratic states to feminist ambitions for birth control; from public health campaigns to totalitarian dreams of the "perfectibility of man." This book dispels for uninitiated readers the automatic and apparently exclusive link between eugenics and the Holocaust. It is the first world history of eugenics and an indispensable core text for both teaching and research. Eugenics has accumulated generations of interest as experts attempted to connect biology; human capacity; and policy. In the past and the present; eugenics speaks to questions of race; class; gender and sex; evolution; governance; nationalism; disability; and the social implications of science. In the current climate; in which the human genome project; stem cell research; and new reproductive technologies have proven so controversial; the history of eugenics has much to teach us about the relationship between scientific research; technology; and human ethical decision-making.
#1401258 in Books 2012-12-03Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 6.40 x 1.30 x 9.30l; 1.40 #File Name: 0199920303368 pages
Review
31 of 33 people found the following review helpful. A superb account of Amb. Moynihan at the UN by GIL TROYBy Maura MoynihanI have nothing but praise for Prof.. Gil Troy's brilliant rendering of Ambassador Daniel Patrick Moynihan's tenure as US Envoy to the United Nations. Prof. Troy is the first scholar to write about the events that led to the "Zionism Is Racism" UN Resolution; the harm that was done; and the brave and bold response of Amb. Moynihan and his friend and colleague Chiam Herzog; Israel's Ambassador to the UN. I lived through all of it. Amb. Moynihan was my father; and I always felt it was his finest hour; exposing the "Big Red Lie"; the handiwork of UN Secretary General Kurt Waldheim; who was later outed as a Nazi general who oversaw the extermination of tens of thousands of European Jews. Waldheim outlived both Moynihan and Herzog and died in his luxurious chateau in Austria. I thank Prof. Troy for telling this story so that the world will know what happened; why Amb. Moynihan had to resign from the UN; and what Waldheim and his cabal did to the UN and to the world. The book captures the reader with elegant writing; meticulous research; and vivid renderings of those events in 1975 and 76. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the international history of the post war era.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Simply SuperbBy Gary WeissIt's hard to conceive of a more timely book than Gil Troy's "Moynihan Moment."Troy captures an era that has returned; and with a vengeance--the movement to delegitimize Israel. Today it is BDS; in the 1970s it was "Zionism as racism." The two are simply two sides of the same coin; and with the same objective: not to oppose Israel's policies but Israel's existence.In this lucid; clear-eyed and deeply researched book; Troy describes how UN Resolution 3379 was a direct result of Soviet machinations; which; as he points out; were grounded in virulent anti-Semitism. Unable to counter the resolution; Moynihan denounced it with an eloquence that reverberates today; when the U.S. frequently fails to take a sufficiently moral; forthright position in world bodies. Moynihan's unabashed stance was directly opposed by Henry Kissinger; who is portrayed in this book as back-stabbing and insincere.Troy goes on to deal with the aftermath of the resolution; its 1991 revocation; the Durban disaster of 2001; in which anti-Semitism was on display in an open and brazen manner not seen since the Nuremberg rallies.This book is of particular value to those of us who are troubled by the preoccupation with Israel by many on the left and their connivance with radical Islam; which runs counter to true progressive values. Troy's book provides valuable insights into that disturbing phenomenon.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Powerful Eye OpeningBy Enrique CohenExcellent historic recollection of a very powerful event that moved the US toward the solidarity with Israel and the American Jews. Eye opening of the power struggles in Washington; the petty personalities of very respected people; like Kissinger; and the corruption of ideas that mingle in the UN to this day.It talks about the obsession with Israel in the UN; the amplification of everything that the Israeli government does and the way that no responsibility is given to the totalitarian regimes in the Middle East.
