Episode · Behind the Bastards · 2026-09-10
Books mentioned on Part Two: Francis Galton: Inventor of Eugenics
In part 2, we follow Galton during his youthful rampage through the middle east and then Africa, and how his 'gap years' created the racism we all live with today. See omnystudio.
Robert Evans discussed The Art of Travel by Francis Galton, The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin, Hereditary Genius by Francis Galton, Inquiries Into Human Faculty by Francis Galton, Inquiries Into Human Faculty and Its Development by Francis Galton, and Superior by Angela Saini.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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The Art of Travel
Discussed“His first book was such a hit that he got to write a second in 1855, and the art of travel became a bestseller and in modified form, a textbook for the Royal Geographic Society”
Where to get it
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The Origin of Species
Charles Darwin’s foundational work on evolutionary biology, The Origin of Species, outlines the theory of evolution by natural selection and presents extensive evidence connecting biological and geological phenomena.
Discussed“In the 1859 publication of The Origin of Species by his older cousin, Charles Darwin, electrified and inspired him.”
Where to get it
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Hereditary Genius
Hereditary Genius by Francis Galton is an 1869 book that attempts to rank people by lettered classes while arguing that human intelligence and success are entirely heritable.
Discussed“In 1869, he published a book, Hereditary Genius, that took his initial list of successful men in their offspring and expanded it to collect data on many different kinds of successful people.”
Where to get it
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Inquiries Into Human Faculty
Inquiries Into Human Faculty is a pioneering 1883 book by Francis Galton that explores various aspects of human psychology, heredity, and anthropology.
Discussed“Galton first came up with the infamous term eugenics in the early 1880s, we don't know exactly when, but it's first published when he's working on a book called inquiries into human faculty and its development.”
Where to get it
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Inquiries Into Human Faculty and Its Development
Inquiries Into Human Faculty and Its Development by Francis Galton is an 1883 scientific text that explores human heredity and introduced the foundational concepts of eugenics to the public.
Discussed“Galton first came up with the infamous term eugenics in the early 1880s, we don't know exactly when, but it's first published when he's working on a book called inquiries into human faculty and its development.”
Where to get it
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Superior
Discussed“As Angela Syne writes in the book Superior, Galton coined the term in 1883 from the Greek prefix "you" for "well" or "good" to describe the idea of using social control to improve the health and intelligence of future generations.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (2) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“Jairer Tolkien who writes "The Lord of the Rings" and is like, fucking has to fight in World War I.”
“reading a book right now called "Intomperable," which is about, like, Napoleon Bonaparte's the most elite, like, regiment in his entire army, the ninth infantry.”