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Modern bioethicists who advocate new eugenics characterize it as a way of enhancing individual traits, regardless of group membership. In contemporary usage, the term eugenics is closely associated with scientific racism. Early advocates of eugenics in the 19th century regarded it as a way of improving groups of people. The concept predates the term Plato suggested applying the principles of selective breeding to humans around 400 BC. In recent years, the term has seen a revival in bioethical discussions on the usage of new technologies such as CRISPR and genetic screening, with a heated debate on whether these technologies should be called eugenics or not.
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Historically, eugenicists have attempted to alter human gene pools by excluding people and groups judged to be inferior or promoting those judged to be superior. Eugenics ( / j uː ˈ dʒ ɛ n ɪ k s/ yoo- JEN-iks from Ancient Greek εύ̃ (eû) 'good, well', and -γενής (genḗs) 'come into being, growing') is a set of beliefs and practices that aim to improve the genetic quality of a human population.
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