Eugenics and Modern Statistics
Summary
TLDREl movimiento de la eugenesia, nacido en el siglo XIX en Inglaterra, buscaba mejorar la humanidad mediante el cruce selectivo, evitando la reproducción de individuos con 'malas genes'. Estaba fuertemente vinculada a la familia Darwin-Wedgwood, quienes influyeron en el desarrollo de la estadística moderna, con figuras como Francis Galton y Ronald Fisher. Aunque ampliamente aceptada en su apogeo en la década de 1920 y 1930, perdió credibilidad tras la Segunda Guerra Mundial debido a su asociación con el nazismo. La eugenesia influenció a muchos estadísticos, cuyas metodologías aún se utilizan hoy, pero su legado es controvertido debido a su manipulación para argumentos políticos.
Takeaways
- 🌟 La eugenesia es un movimiento que surgió en la Inglaterra victoriana del siglo XIX con el objetivo de mejorar la humanidad mediante la selección de la reproducción.
- 📚 Francis Galton, primo de Darwin, propuso la teoría de la genios hereditaria en su libro 'Hereditary Genius', lo que llevó a investigar y desarrollar métodos estadísticos para respaldar su tesis.
- 🔬 El desarrollo de la estadística moderna está intrínsecamente ligado a la eugenesia, con figuras clave como Carl Pearson y Ronald Fisher financiados por miembros de la familia Darwin-Wedgwood y otros elitistas de la época.
- 🌐 La eugenesia fue ampliamente aceptada y tenía un gran alcance político y social en los años 20 y 30, influenciando incluso el nazismo y otros movimientos socialistas.
- 🏛 Durante la era de la eugenesia, se implementaron leyes de esterilización compulsoria en varios estados de EE. UU. y países escandinavos.
- 💡 Ronald Fisher, considerado un titanio de la estadística moderna, fue un defensor de la eugenesia y desarrolló muchos de los métodos estadísticos ampliamente utilizados hoy en día.
- 🔄 A pesar de las tensiones y disputas entre Fisher y sus colegas, su trabajo en estadística continuó siendo fundamental y ha influido en campos diversos.
- 🚫 Después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial y los atroces crímenes del nazismo, la eugenesia quedó desacreditada y los científicos comenzaron a distanciarse de ella.
- 🛑 Muchas organizaciones asociadas con la eugenesia cambiaron sus nombres o se transformaron en entidades como Planned Parenthood, cambiando su enfoque a temas como el control de la población y la salud reproductiva.
- 🔍 La relación entre la eugenesia y la estadística moderna a menudo se minimiza, pero los métodos desarrollados por Fisher y otros siguen siendo esenciales en la investigación científica actual.
- 🔄 Los métodos estadísticos, desarrollados con una agenda política, siguen siendo susceptibles de ser manipulados y utilizados para respaldar diferentes agendas en el presente.
Q & A
¿Qué es la eugenesia y cómo se relaciona con el mejoramiento de la humanidad?
-La eugenesia es un movimiento que busca mejorar la humanidad a través del apareamiento selectivo, evitando o desalentando la reproducción de aquellos con presuntos malos genes y promoviendo la reproducción de personas con presuntos buenos genes.
¿Dónde y cuándo comenzó el movimiento de la eugenesia?
-El movimiento de la eugenesia comenzó en la Inglaterra victoriana en el siglo XIX y alcanzó su apogeo en la década de 1920 y 1930.
¿Cómo está la eugenesia relacionada con la teoría de la evolución de Charles Darwin?
-La eugenesia está profundamente asociada con la familia Darwin-Wedgwood, la cual incluye a Charles Darwin, quien es generalmente reconocido por descubrir e inventar la teoría de la evolución.
¿Quién fue Francis Galton y qué libro escribió que influenció el desarrollo de la eugenesia y las estadísticas modernas?
-Francis Galton, primo de Darwin, escribió el libro 'Hereditary Genius' en 1869, en el que argumentó que el genio era hereditario y basado en los genes y la genética.
¿Por qué Francis Galton financió y apoyó la investigación en estadísticas?
-Galton financió y apoyó la investigación en estadísticas para probar científicamente su tesis de que el éxito y el genio estaban determinados por la genética, no por el entorno.
¿Qué relación tenían Leonard Darwin con la eugenesia y quién fue Ronald Fisher?
-Leonard Darwin, hijo de Charles Darwin, era un gran respaldador de la eugenesia y apoyó financieramente a Ronald Fisher, quien es considerado el principal creador de muchos métodos estadísticos modernos.
¿Cuáles fueron las repercusiones de la eugenesia en los Estados Unidos y otros países durante la década de 1920 y 1930?
-Durante la década de 1920 y 1930, la eugenesia influenció la creación de leyes de esterilización compulsoria en muchos estados de los Estados Unidos y se propagó a países nórdicos, lo que finalmente influenció el nazismo en Alemania.
¿Cómo se desacreditó la eugenesia después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial?
-La eugenesia se desacreditó después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial debido a los atrocidades cometidas por el régimen nazi, incluyendo los campos de concentración y los juicios de Núremberg.
¿Cómo cambió la percepción de la eugenesia en la sociedad después de la guerra y qué organizaciones se vieron influenciadas por ella?
-Después de la guerra, la eugenesia se convirtió en un tema tabú y muchas organizaciones que estaban involucradas en la eugenesia, como las sociedades eugénicas, cambiaron sus nombres o se transformaron en organizaciones modernas que promueven control de la población o salud reproductiva.
¿Qué es el legado de la eugenesia en el campo de las estadísticas y cómo se utilizan sus métodos hoy en día?
-El legado de la eugenesia en las estadísticas es que muchos de los métodos desarrollados por Ronald Fisher y sus colegas se utilizan ampliamente en diversas disciplinas, desde la genética hasta las ciencias físicas y astronomía, aunque su origen y la agenda política detrás de su desarrollo a menudo se minimizan o ignoran.
¿Cómo se pueden manipular los métodos estadísticos desarrollados durante el movimiento de la eugenesia y por qué?
-Estos métodos pueden ser manipulados debido a la flexibilidad en la selección y definición de los datos y la elección de modelos matemáticos, lo que puede llevar a resultados sesgos o deseados, reflejando las limitaciones y problemas no resueltos en su desarrollo original.
¿Qué problemas persisten en los métodos estadísticos heredados de la eugenesia y cómo afectan a la ciencia moderna?
-Los problemas persisten en la forma en que se seleccionan y definen los datos y en la elección de modelos matemáticos, lo que puede llevar a manipulaciones y sesgos en los resultados, afectando la objetividad en la ciencia moderna.
Outlines
🌱 La Movimiento Eugenésica y su Influencia en las Estadísticas Modernas
El primer párrafo introduce el concepto de la eugenesia, una práctica destinada a mejorar la raza humana mediante la selección de parejas con 'buenas' características genéticas y la prevención de la reproducción de aquellos con 'malas' genéticas. Se describe su origen en la Inglaterra victoriana y su auge en los años 20 y 30. Destaca la relación con la familia Darwin-Wedgwood, con especial mención a Francis Galton y su libro 'Hereditary Genius', que argumentaba la herencia de la genialidad. La discusión sobre la base científica de la eugenesia llevó a Galton a respaldar el desarrollo de métodos estadísticos, como lo hizo con Carl Pearson y Ronald Fisher, quienes fueron fundamentales en la formación de las estadísticas modernas. La financiación de la eugenesia por parte de la elite británica y su aceptación científica en la época se mencionan como claves para entender su influencia en el desarrollo de las estadísticas.
📜 La Eugenesia en su Ápice y su Impacto en la Sociedad y la Política
El segundo párrafo explora cómo la eugenesia se convirtió en una práctica mainstream y aceptada por figuras políticas prominentes más allá de los círculos de derecha. Se mencionan leyes de esterilización compulsoria en varios estados de EE. UU. y países escandinavos, así como el apoyo de socialistas fabianos como George Bernard Shaw. La eugenesia se extendió a Alemania y tuvo un impacto significativo en el nazismo. Sin embargo, el movimiento comenzó a desacreditarse tras la Segunda Guerra Mundial y los crímenes de los nazis, lo que llevó a la desaparición de la eugenesia y el distanciamiento de la comunidad científica. La transformación de organizaciones eugénicas en entidades como Planned Parenthood y el Consejo Mundial de Población se destaca como un cambio de nombre para evitar el estigma asociado a la eugenesia.
🔍 La Legado de la Eugenesia en las Estadísticas y sus Problemas Residuales
El tercer párrafo analiza el legado de la eugenesia en el campo de las estadísticas, señalando que aunque su papel está subestimado, los métodos desarrollados por Fisher y otros estadísticos financiados por el movimiento eugenésico se utilizan ampliamente en diversas disciplinas. Se discuten las debilidades de estos métodos, como la flexibilidad en la selección y definición de datos y la elección de modelos matemáticos, lo que puede llevar a manipulaciones y resultados sesgos. Se argumenta que estos problemas no han sido completamente resueltos y que siguen siendo relevantes en controversias científicas y políticas modernas, como el cambio climático y la crisis del coronavirus. El llamado a la importancia de reconocer estos problemas históricos y superar las debilidades de los métodos estadísticos para evitar prejuicios y errores en el análisis de datos se presenta como una conclusión final.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Eugenesia
💡Selección de parejas
💡Clan Darwin-Wedgwood
💡Francis Galton
💡Heredity Genius
💡Estadística moderna
💡Carl Pearson
💡Ronald Fisher
💡Compulsory Sterilization Laws
💡Nazismo
💡Métodos estadísticos
Highlights
Eugenics was a movement aimed at improving humanity through selective breeding and preventing those with 'bad genes' from reproducing.
Eugenics originated in Victorian England in the 1800s and was closely associated with the Darwin-Wedgwood family.
Francis Galton, Darwin's cousin, wrote 'Hereditary Genius' advocating for eugenics based on the heritability of genius.
Galton's ideas faced criticism, leading him to fund research into statistical methods to scientifically prove his theories.
Carl Pearson, a key figure in modern statistics, was financially backed by Galton to develop statistical methodologies.
Leonard Darwin, Charles Darwin's son, was a significant supporter of eugenics and a mentor to Ronald Fisher.
Ronald Fisher was a titan of modern statistics whose methods are widely used today, despite his controversial support for eugenics.
Eugenics was mainstream in the 1920s and 30s, with compulsory sterilization laws in the U.S. and Scandinavian countries.
Eugenics had broad appeal across the political spectrum and influenced figures like George Bernard Shaw and H.G. Wells.
The movement began to decline after World War II, particularly due to the atrocities committed by Nazi Germany.
Many organizations involved in eugenics, such as Planned Parenthood, changed their focus to avoid the stigma of eugenics.
Ronald Fisher's enthusiasm for eugenics is often emphasized, but he was not unique; many statisticians were advocates.
The legacy of eugenics in statistics is downplayed, yet the methods developed are still widely used across various fields.
The statistical methods developed during the eugenics era have inherent weaknesses and are prone to manipulation.
Despite attempts to address these issues, the problems with these methods have not been fully resolved in modern times.
The development of modern statistical methods was influenced by a political agenda to prove the validity of eugenics.
It is crucial to recognize the historical context of statistical methods and work towards overcoming their weaknesses.
Transcripts
eugenics
is or was a movement to
improve humanity through essentially
selective breeding
through preventing or discouraging those
with supposed bad genes from reproducing
and trying to produce more people with
supposed good genes
it started out in victorian england in
the 1800s
and reached its heyday in the 1920s and
30s
and played a very major role in the
creation of
development of modern statistics that is
widely used today
in almost every field and throughout the
world
eugenics started out and was deeply
associated with the darwin wedgwood clan
the darwin wedgwood clan was the
extended family
of charles darwin who is usually
credited with discovering and inventing
the theory
of evolution the darwin wedgwood family
was
very wealthy powerful politically
connected family in
victorian england many of the members of
the family were prominent in many
different
fields
two members played a very large role in
the formation of eugenics and the
development of modern statistics
francis galton was darwin's cousin and
in 1869 he wrote a famous book
called hereditary genius in which he
pointed to his own family and other
people in his social circle
who were very successful and were the
children of other successful people and
the grandchildren of other successful
people
and argued that genius was
hereditary was based on your genes and
genetics
this book got a lot of pushback from
people who said well wait a minute your
family these people you know they're
very wealthy they're very well connected
they go to the quote right schools like
eaton and harrows
in england the top essentially prep
schools and u.s terminology
they're wealthy they have tutors they
have all these advantages
it's about environment and not genetics
and they challenge the scientific basis
of his thesis
and this led galton to not just
investigate statistics but to fund
finance and back
extensive research and development of
statistical methods
to prove in a scientific way to put his
ideas on a scientific
basis that in fact genetics was
determining
success determining genius responsible
for scientific inventions
and he began to advocate the notion of
eugenics of actually breeding better
people
who often seemed like his family or his
social circle the elite
in victorian england he in particular
financed and backed carl pearson one of
the key figures in the modern statistics
field leonard darwin was the son of
charles darwin
he was a major backer of eugenics
he in particular was close to a mentor
of and financial backer of ronald fisher
who is responsible for the preponderance
of these
methods statistical methods the sort of
titan of the modern statistics movement
was ronald elmer fisher
galton and darwin leonard darwin and
other members of the
darwin wedgwood clan as well as other
members of the british elite
financed the the eugenics movement which
heavily overlapped
modern statistics and they financed
people like carl pearson
and ronald fisher to conduct research
and develop methods to prove
that eugenics was scientific and it was
accepted by many many scientists
as scientific in those days
carl pearson received all sorts of
support from francis galton who
eventually gave his
when he passed away he gave his money to
carl pearson to
develop statistical methodologies at
university college in london
ronald fisher was a younger generation
he met leonard darwin
at cambridge around 1912 1913
the time period of the picture i'm
showing he was a very bright man
very creative by many accounts a very
difficult
person to deal with he had a bad temper
his daughter
is on camera saying he tolerated fools
very poorly he was
really the driving force in the 1920s
and 30s
in the development of many modern
statistical methods that are now widely
used all over the world in all sorts of
fields
he and pearson got into a big fight and
there was a big feud between fisher and
many of the other
colleagues he had in the statistics in
the 1920s and 30s
the 1920s and 30s were the heyday of
eugenics
there were compulsory sterilization laws
in many states in the united states
including
california where i'm located similar
laws were passed
in norway sweden denmark scandinavian
countries
many famous fabian socialists like
george bernard shaw or adherents of
eugenics
eugenics is often presented today as a
fringe
pseudoscientific right-wing
nut group almost however
it had broad appeal and its appeal
crossed the political stretch spectrum
of the time of the 1920s and 30s
it was very mainstream and accepted by
many prominent politicians
figures like george bernard shaw or h.d
wells
and it spread into germany and
in particular influenced nazism
it began to run into some trouble with
the depression but
it faltered and crashed and burned after
world war ii with the defeat of nazi
germany the nazi atrocities the death
camps
the nuremberg trials these basically
discredited
eugenics in the public mind among most
people
scientists statisticians began to
quickly distance themselves from
eugenics the name was dropped
many organizations that were involved in
eugenics eugenic societies
closed they changed their names they
mutated into
modern organizations like planned
parenthood or the world population
council they started to talk about
population control or reproductive
health
other causes that didn't carry the
stigma
of eugenics and eugenics became almost
anathema
it's a word that's almost always used in
a negative way today in the same way
that appeasement
shifted its meaning in world war ii from
basically negotiating or talking to
people trying to work things out with
people
to craven cowardice to a very negative
terminology
eugenics essentially died at least very
few people will admit publicly
that they believe in it
there's selective outrage historically
over the involvement specifically of
statisticians but also some other people
with eugenics ronald fisher
was deeply deeply hated by many of his
colleagues there was a bitter feud
between him and carl pearson carl
peterson's son egon pearson
many other people many students of those
people
he is hated by people even to this day
although i don't think anyone's left
alive who
knew him his enthusiasm for eugenics is
frequently emphasized to this day
often as if he was a unique aberration
in the field of statistics
in fact nearly all the original
statisticians who were financed by the
eugenics movement
were advocates of or adherence of
eugenics as were many prominent
scientists
and many people from different political
backgrounds so it
there were left-wing eugenics fanatics
or followers
and they were right-wing and there were
people who simply hard to categorize
according to left and right
after world war ii everyone you know
like the
famous saying success has a thousand
followers and failure is an orphan no
one wants to be associated with eugenics
to the present day but fischer was not
particularly unusual in this
he was one of many adherents of eugenics
in his time in the 1920s and 30s
what is the legacy of this eugenics
background
eugenics's role in statistics is
generally downplayed although it's well
documented it's no mystery the
statistical methods developed
by fischer and his colleagues are widely
used everywhere
in all sorts of fields including
genetics agriculture political science
economics
social sciences all the way into hard
sciences such as physics and astronomy
and i worked with the maximum likelihood
method and some of fishers methods when
i was a graduate student
they're very common many people who use
them don't really know their origins or
vaguely aware of the names like fisher
or pearson that
turn up in the statistical literature
these methods were used to produce
seemingly scientific arguments for
eugenics and evidence for eugenics and
so forth back in the 1920s and 30s and
in the you know
earlier part of the previous century
they in practice seem flexible one can
get the results one wants
we see these methods being used by
everyone in modern scientific and
political controversies such as climate
change
the current coronavirus crisis which is
very politicized
drug and vaccine safety and many other
examples
you can usually get the results you want
or expect
from these methods
the reasons for that are probably
multiple reasons and weaknesses in the
techniques that they developed
that were not addressed in part because
they were trying to prove that eugenics
was true
even though that may not be the case
those problems include that the methods
don't really adequately deal
with how you select and define the data
so there's a lot of freedom to fiddle
around with the actual data
and produce the results you want they
don't include estimates
of the effect of this flexibility in the
selection and definition of data
similarly one can select an infinity of
mathematical models
for your data there's a lot of freedom
we don't generally have a good way of
handling the effects of that freedom
in fact you can prove anything with an
arbitrarily exceedingly complicated
mathematical model completely contrary
to your common sense interpretation of
the data or probably what's
in fact reasonable so hidden within
these very sophisticated techniques
there are a variety of assumptions there
are a variety of
aspects of them which make them prone to
manipulation
it would be unfair to say that the
statisticians were unaware of these
particularly fisher
it would be unfair to say that they
weren't trying to fix them in theory
but our legacy are methods that were
developed with a political agenda
to develop to prove eugenics
and they are similarly politically
useful today
and have the same i do not think
the problems that were visible in
fishers time of this ability to get the
result you want
have truly been fixed today
so that's the legacy of the eugenics
movement and modern statistics
as we become more dependent on data and
computers and statistics
it's important both to recognize those
historical problems and find some sort
of
solution to them that allows us to move
beyond
our prejudices something that's always
been very hard to do but move beyond our
prejudices
and overcome the weaknesses of these
methods
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