Part 8/16:
Corbett explains that eugenics emerged from a long history of justifying hierarchical power—initially through divine right, Mandate of Heaven, and divine right of kings—that evolved into a scientific veneer during the Enlightenment. In the 19th century, as rationalism and scientific pseudo-knowledge gained prominence, eugenics became a tool to rationalize social hierarchies, racial discrimination, and even sterilization programs in the US and Nazi Germany.