Is China's One Child policy eugenic?

[ZEE]

@OP- I don't know if its so much eugenics as it is economics.

[VetLegion]

I for one wellcome our new Chinese overlords

Replication Survival


You basically summed up my view of the thing, I'm just wondering if anyone can see any dysgenic trends that would offset this effect? I'm wondering how much does the average IQ of the new generations change compared to what it would otherwise be?

I think that the effect is probably mild, but there's nothing to compare it with. All
countries keep experiencing growing IQ scores (the Flynn effect). Also, given that
we don't know which genes exactly are responsible for intelligence, we probably
couldn't produce smarter people in a short number of generations even in laboratory
conditions. If what China is doing has any effect it is probably too small to be
measured and has no noticeable effects in the real world.

Also will eugenic policies make a comeback now that the west is in relative decline compared to the rest of the world? Or will the Chinese views on this change under western influence?

I'm personally expecting the return of phrenology into the mainstream somewhere around 2020. It will do a lot to simplify elections and such.

[KrazyHorse]

Also, given that we don't know which genes exactly are responsible for intelligence, we probably couldn't produce smarter people in a short number of generations even in laboratory conditions.

IQ (especially adult IQ) is fairly inheritable.

I'd hazard that a truly draconian breeding program could easily raise the average IQ of a representative sample of, say, 200 people to 130+ within 3 generations.

[Kuciwalker]

Given that society's normal selective pressures have done so within 4 makes that a lot less impressive

[Ben Kenobi]

It's probably eugenic wrt to fertility. As said, high fertility wouldn't correlate with improved outcomes, and would over time likely be selected out. It's highly eugenic wrt to the men.

[KrazyHorse]

If you're referring to the Flynn effect, it's pretty obvious that it's not genetically based.

[Kuciwalker]

Thus the smiley.

[KrazyHorse]

Luckily IQ is renormalized constantly...

[KrazyHorse]

By the way, I think that in most of the developed world the Flynn effect has probably run its course.

Early childhood health is pretty much tapped as a source of improvements, while the quality and availability of educational/experiential resources are still increasing (media) but are probably subject to diminishing returns

[Heraclitus]

All
countries keep experiencing growing IQ scores (the Flynn effect).

Not true. Its ended in many developed nations. In the UK IQ among teenagers peaked in the 80's and most Nordic countries peaked in the early 90's and IQ scores have been in slow decline ever since.

Given that society's normal selective pressures have done so within 4 makes that a lot less impressive

It is generally agreed that the Flynn effect is not caused by changes in genotype.



EDIT: I see people already covered this.

By the way, I think that in most of the developed world the Flynn effect has probably run its course.

Early childhood health is pretty much tapped as a source of improvements, while the quality and availability of educational/experiential resources are still increasing (media) but are probably subject to diminishing returns

+1

BTW Is there any data available on how the % of high IQ outliers has changed over time?
(Low IQ outliers have off course become much more rare since certain forms of mental retardation present in the past are preventable today)

EDIT: Also to be perfectly clear by high IQ outliers I don't mean the real very high IQ outliers. IQ tests suck there.

[Heraclitus]

Also to clear up possible misunderstandings. I used the word 'eugenic' in the OP colloquially, the one child policy clearly wasn't meant to be eugenic and if positive effects on the genotype appear they technically aren't "eugenic" (thou there could be a counterargument for since eugenic basically means "wellborn"... having good inherited characteristics.)


As a not of interest: I have heard this being used as a rationalization by some Chinese I have spoken to who defended the policy.

[Elok]

I'm personally expecting the return of phrenology into the mainstream somewhere around 2020. It will do a lot to simplify elections and such.

I was thinking alchemy. It's snazzier and promises much the same stuff as eugenics, albeit in different ways. Eugenics: it's alchemy, with more carcasses!

[Heraclitus]

http://www.unesco.org/courier/1999_0...sier/txt07.htm

This has to be one of the dumbest articles ever written...

Is the Maternal and Infant Health Law eugenic? I would argue that for a policy to be eugenic it must first reject individual consent and second, be based on racism.

...They may have made grave mistakes, but they have never claimed superiority over another people...

[Heraclitus]

It does however seem that China indeed does have an eugenic policy in place. I've found a translation of a law passed in 1995, which known as the Chinese Eugenics Law on Maternal and Infant Health Care.

http://www.unescap.org/esid/psis/pop..._record006.htm

Article 10. After pre-marital medical examination, physicians shall, in respect of the male or female who has been diagnosed with certain genetic disease of a serious nature which is considered to be inappropriate for child-bearing from a medical point of view, explain the situations and give medical advice to both the male and the female; those who, with the consent of both the male and the female, after taking long-term contraceptive measures or performance of ligation operations, are unable to bear children may get married. However, the circumstances under which marriage may not be contracted under the Marriage Law of the People’s Republic of China shall be accepted.

I'm a bit confused on the last sentencee, "the circumstances under which marriage may not be contracted under the Marriage Law of the People’s Republic of China shall be accepted"


BTW I've heard references to certain provinces having compulsory sterilization for the mentally handicaped (I'm not sure if this is the right word. Can someone tell me what is the proper PC term in English for the people that where once referd to as retards, cretins, idiots ect. ?)


I for one welcom our future Chinese overlords

[Maniac]

Re post 28, you do realize those parts were written by two different people?