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Control

The Dark History and Troubling Present of Eugenics

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Control

By: Adam Rutherford
Narrated by: Adam Rutherford
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About this listen

How did an obscure academic idea pave the way to the Holocaust within just fifty years?

Why does eugenics still loom large in the 21st century, despite its genocidal past?

Did eugenics work? Could it work? Or was it always a pseudoscientific fantasy?

Throughout history, people have sought to reduce suffering, eliminate disease and enhance desirable qualities in their children. In the Victorian era eugenics, a full-blooded attempt to impose control over unruly biology, began to grow among the powerful and quickly spread to dozens of countries around the world. But these ideas are not merely historical: today, with new gene editing techniques, conversations are happening about tinkering with the DNA of our unborn children to make them smarter, fitter, stronger. Deeply steeped in contemporary genetics, CONTROL offers a vital account of one of the defining—and most destructive—ideas of the twentieth century.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2022 Adam Rutherford (P)2022 Weidenfeld & Nicolson Biological Sciences Evolution & Genetics Genetics History History & Philosophy Racism & Discrimination Science Social Sciences Discrimination Social justice

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I had no idea that Eugenics was so widespread. An excellent listen, but also quite depressing when you realise just how awful humans can be too each other.

Fascinating

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Very accessible approach to explaining history and basis of eugenics. Really learned a lot from this book. Very enjoyable if rather scary! Brilliantly read by author.

Enlightening debunking of eugenics

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Dr Rutherford communicates complex science into entertaining informative prose. A joy to listen and learn the history and perfect debunking of the nonsense that is political eugenics based on ideology fantasy.

Excellent as always

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Adam Rutherford is so good at dealing with this difficult subject. I have been able to get a good grip on the basics of both the biological and moral implications of eugenics. I definitely recommend this book.

Brilliant

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Another fantastic book by Adam Rutherford. Good performance, clear voice. Quick and easy to follow but also learned loads (despite having a medical degree with modules in genetics).

Another fantastic book by Adam Rutherford

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Engaging and thought-provoking.
Such an easy listen for a very difficult subject, helped by the narration by the author.
Easy five-star audiobook.

Outstanding!

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Yet another good book by Adam Rutherford.
Like his previous books he narrates it himself and has a very clear and interesting voice.
This book contains a lot of material that I have read in his other books hence the 4bstar overall rating.
Rutherford is the best antidote to the Mad ideas put out by Eugenicists past and present. The conclusion is very telling when he states that the Wars, financial disasters, genocides and other horrible scars on our presence on the planet has been caused by the rich and powerful not the so-called less-than-average people who many of the Eugenecist would have controlled or eradicated in order to make their perfect world.
I suspect that if we were ever to get to the nightmare of their dreams they would be disappointed at the outcomes as they give birth to less-than-perfect progeny!

Another good book by the reliable Adam Rutherford

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A fascinating journey through the history and present state of eugenics. Should be essential reading for all students of biology and any interested laypeople .

Essential reading

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Saw D Adam Rutherford at the New Scientist Live expo giving a talk based on this book and bought it subsequently. Very glad I did.

From the unbelievable statistics of eugenics practised today, to the ethics of deselecting foetuses with Downs Syndrome, to Kelloggs and his ‘anti-wanking’ cereal, this book had me from start to finish.

I also learned a lot about what I thought I know about genetics and our ability (or not) to effectively manipulate them.

I’ve always believed that to solve the big problems facing the world (climate change, disease, poverty, nuclear decommissioning, food security, water) we have to start thinking like One World. The homogeneity of our genes is a great place to start from!

Thought provoking, enlightening, & horrifying

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At times I was in a state of despair, then hope, then disgust, fear, motivation, sympathy, empathy, unbelievably deep sadness and shame, then uplifted in the prospect that others may take up their opportunities to listed to Adam Rutherford’s reading of his book.

Necessarily technical in parts, but Rutherford navigates our way through benefitting from the fact that he understands what he has written! Consequently, the stresses, nuances and occasional humour of the text come through.

Perhaps it may be seen as a deep dive into science and ethical philosophy but the presentation is still accessible to a general, and interested, reader/listener.

Rutherford takes on the challenge of showing us unpalatable truths and consequences, and, I think, success in not driving us away and so getting his points across.

This is a high quality recording, narration and story. Five Stars all around * * * * * and we’ll deserved.

Difficult and challenging, enhanced by the author reading it.

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