Darwin: On Extermination and Eugenics

Darwin in 1879

“At some future period, not very distant as measured by centuries, the civilized races of man will almost certainly exterminate, and replace, the savage races throughout the world.” ~ Charles Darwin in his 1871 book The Descent of Man 

By civilized races, Darwin meant people of his own race: the European caucasians. He believed that the so-called savage races would be exterminated not just by genocide, orchestrated by the so-called civilized races, but also by eugenics. He has not used the term “eugenics” in his book—but he has suggested that by selective breeding the civilized races could find a way of increasing their number and pushing the savage races into decline and extinction. 

The term “eugenics” was invented in 1883, by the British social Darwinist Francis Galton, who was Darwin’s half-cousin. 

In the twenty-first century, it has become clear that Darwin was relying on inaccurate data and faulty assumptions when he proposed that civilized races will exterminate and replace the savage races. He overestimated the strength of civilization. The opposite of his theory is true—it is the savage races which are breeding at a high rate and are replacing the civilized races. The demographic transformation is being driven by birth rate, not extermination and eugenics.  

In the last 70 years, there has been a decline in the birth rate of European caucasians. The European caucasians have lost their "will to breed”—Darwin never foresaw this—their birth rate cannot keep pace with their normal death rate, with the result that there is a steady decline in their population. The population of most other races is rising.