On the Political Use of Pseudoscience
Professor of Public Policy Aaron Panofsky commented in a STAT article on the rise and use of eugenics — pseudoscientific genetic and racial theories popularized around the turn of 20th century — in the 2024 race for U.S. president. Former President Donald Trump’s use of this language in regard to immigrants and minorities underscores a larger trend in which eugenics is being revived in the U.S. in immigration policies, campaign rhetoric and academic literature. Panofsky, director of UCLA’s Institute for Society and Genetics, said that through the Human Genome Project — the mapping of the human genetic code in the 1990s — it was hoped that the idea that genetics was responsible for significant differences among various groups would end, creating a post-racial world. “But it turns out that both scientists and the public spend all their interest in the 0.1% of genetic variation that makes us different, not the 99.9% that makes us the same,” he said.
Professor Aaron Panofsky’s insights on the resurgence of eugenics rhetoric in the 2024 presidential race highlight a troubling trend in U.S. discourse surrounding genetics and race. His observation that society remains fixated on the 0.1% of genetic variation that differentiates us, rather than the 99.9% that unites us, underscores the potential dangers of misusing genetic science in political rhetoric and policy-making. As these pseudoscientific ideas reemerge, it is crucial to critically examine their implications for immigration policies and societal attitudes towards race and genetics.