The Blood of the Nation
Encyclopedia
The Blood of the Nation: A Study in the Decay of Races by the Survival of the Unfit was the title of a number of publications by the American
eugenicist David Starr Jordan
one time president of Stanford University
. Jordan's thesis under this name first appeared in the May 1901 edition of Popular Science Monthly. It was republished in book form by the American Unitarian Association
in 1902 and again in 1910. The Blood of the Nation was intended to promote the eugenics
movement and bring its aims to a broader non-academic audience. In it, Jordan hypothesized that much of the social decline after wars stemmed from 'the dysgenic effects of that conflict, which destroyed the fittest and left young widows who did not remarry and produce more children'.
In critiquing Jordan's paper in 2001, Elof Axel Carlson proposed that the term 'blood' in the title, 'although biologically inaccurate', was deliberately included by the author for 'metaphorical value' and to make the concept of 'inborn cultural behaviors' accessible to a general reader.
Thurtle (2007), referencing Walter Benjamin
, claims that this work by Jordan owes more to the 'storytelling' genre than strictly scientific enquiry.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
eugenicist David Starr Jordan
David Starr Jordan
David Starr Jordan, Ph.D., LL.D. was a leading eugenicist, ichthyologist, educator and peace activist. He was president of Indiana University and Stanford University.-Early life and education:...
one time president of Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. Jordan's thesis under this name first appeared in the May 1901 edition of Popular Science Monthly. It was republished in book form by the American Unitarian Association
American Unitarian Association
The American Unitarian Association was a religious denomination in the United States and Canada, formed by associated Unitarian congregations in 1825. In 1961, it merged with the Universalist Church of America to form the Unitarian Universalist Association.According to Mortimer Rowe, the Secretary...
in 1902 and again in 1910. The Blood of the Nation was intended to promote the eugenics
Eugenics
Eugenics is the "applied science or the bio-social movement which advocates the use of practices aimed at improving the genetic composition of a population", usually referring to human populations. The origins of the concept of eugenics began with certain interpretations of Mendelian inheritance,...
movement and bring its aims to a broader non-academic audience. In it, Jordan hypothesized that much of the social decline after wars stemmed from 'the dysgenic effects of that conflict, which destroyed the fittest and left young widows who did not remarry and produce more children'.
In critiquing Jordan's paper in 2001, Elof Axel Carlson proposed that the term 'blood' in the title, 'although biologically inaccurate', was deliberately included by the author for 'metaphorical value' and to make the concept of 'inborn cultural behaviors' accessible to a general reader.
Thurtle (2007), referencing Walter Benjamin
Walter Benjamin
Walter Bendix Schönflies Benjamin was a German-Jewish intellectual, who functioned variously as a literary critic, philosopher, sociologist, translator, radio broadcaster and essayist...
, claims that this work by Jordan owes more to the 'storytelling' genre than strictly scientific enquiry.
Sources
- The blood of the nation, a study of the decay of races through the survival of the unfit (1910) at Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...