Review of The New Eugenics

Post by **Maliha Naveed** » 03 Sep 2021, 11:03

[Following is a volunteer review of "The New Eugenics" by Conrad B. Quintyn.]

4 out of 4 stars

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Have you ever thought if the world and all its manifestations will remain the same in hundred years or so? Have you paid attention to the ever-changing dynamics of Science and its implications? If you have not considered these before, then you would like to know the answers to these thought-provoking queries which Conrad B. Quintyn has given in a detail in his book The New Eugenics.

The book mainly focuses on the inexorable pace of scientific development and its effects on not only human beings but all life forms. The author has explained with absolute subtlety the unexpected repercussions it could lead to. He begins his dialogue by elaborating the difference between the old eugenics and the new eugenics. To summarize this, it would be enough to say here that the former implies the eradication of the bad genes while the later one encourages the repair of those genes. The readers would like to know more by reading it themselves.

I really liked the detailing done by the author as he has included all the significant scientific discoveries that led to the rise of biotechnology such as discovery of DNA, penicillin, formation of CRISPR/Cas 9, IVF, gene therapy, cloning, nanotechnology etc. He has aptly thrown light on the role of ‘free market capitalism’ that has promoted the unstoppable growth of the new eugenics. The world in general and some countries in particular, now cannot resist the chief advantages of it as they want to be more than what nature decided for them hence the term ‘designer babies.’ On one hand, the author appreciates the benefits of the eugenics such as treatment for diseases that were considered incurable before, growth of parasite free crops etc. But on the other hand, he has raised the concern regarding its long-term effects. He argues that we are not only trying to fight with the nature but we are also unable to foresee its long-term effects on all life forms which are not encouraging.

What I liked the most about the book was the author’s concern about the culmination of diversity in the environment and the prevalence of sameness that may lead to the ultimate destruction of the humanity. Moreover, the way he has given equal importance to all the organisms not just the human beings in being affected by the technology is very substantial. It made me realize that we all our connected to each other in different ways. The human life form and the non-human life forms cannot exist in isolation. It forces one to know more about the natural phenomena that we usually take for granted in our daily lives.

One very interesting feature of the book is the beginning of every chapter with quotations by renowned scholars belonging to the fields of science. All of them hint towards the hidden evils of the overwhelming nature of the biotechnological discoveries. Another exciting aspect is the comparisons drawn between these discoveries and their depictions in the fantasy movies all these years. It really made me look into some of the movies and TV shows that relate to science fiction such as E.T. The extra-terrestrial, The boys from Brazil, and Battlestar Galactica to name a few. The way he has drawn the analogy between social media networks and CRISPR is also worth reading.

There are no actual errors in the book and for this reason I will rate the book 4 out of 4 stars for its honest and thorough representation of the tribulations promised by the unrelenting scientific advances in the field of the new eugenics.

This book is suitable for those studying science and biotechnology in particular, and all those who are interested in knowing the scientific discoveries and their impact on the society in general. The language and the description of the scientific procedures is not very easy to understand so it’s not apt for children under the age of 15.

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The New Eugenics
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Kaushiki Parihar · Post by **Kaushiki Parihar** » 18 Sep 2021, 10:57

I think this book will be hard for me to comprehend. Also I'm not interested in science and biotechnology. Thanks for the amazing review though!

Astral Magi · Post by **Astral Magi** » 20 Sep 2021, 13:50

I am extremely interested in science and always wonder what our world will look like in the future. I am adding this one to my bookshelf. Thank you for a great review.