The Psychologist Who Advocated For Sterilizing The Smartest People In Society In Order To Save It

A Canadian academic in the 1930s had a unique idea for helping reform society

Eugenics is a sad chapter in history where sterilization of numerous people due to factors like intelligence, ability, socioeconomic status and more have been advocated for and performed — sometimes against their will. The misguided and controversial attempt to “purify” society has been pushed by many in the past, but not everyone was swimming in the same direction when it came to identifying the groups thought to be the best targets. One psychologist from Montreal took a more unique approach in the 1930s, advocating for having the most intelligent people sterilized to make the world a better place.

The January 19, 1934 issue of the Chicago Tribune reported on Professor W.F. Tait (He is called W.D. Tait in some newspapers), McGill University’s head of the Psychology Department in Montreal. He made headlines by taking a whole different approach to how he thought the world could be made a better place by restricting the reproductive rights of some. He explained his theory:

“If you wish to cure the ills of society by sterilization, you should start with the overly intelligent. The worst crimes, the most widespread blights, are not caused by subnormal or mental defectives, but by intelligent people.”

To drive home his point, he elaborated on who exactly he believed was the worst of society:

“Child labor, sweatshops, religious, political and racial persecution, stock manipulation, bank delinquencies, graft at the expense of the country, intrigues and high grade murder, war and its horrors, are not caused by the morons but by the intelligent.”

Of course, the professor’s idea was somewhat tongue in cheek, as he wasn’t really advocating for anyone to be sterilized, but he did firmly believe what he was saying about who was responsible for all of the negativity and degradation in the world.

Not surprisingly, Tait appears to have been a strong advocate for progressive social change. His other initiatives included:

In 1931, he urged educators to focus more on vocational guidance, believing that helping young people find future careers that both fit and interested them were to the benefit of everybody. In particular, he saw testing as a good method to help determine the best fits.

He pounded the table when it came to intelligence and hereditary traits, essentially professing that you were either born with it or you weren’t. No amount of resources or training could change your genetics.

In 1932, he also made headlines for his belief that people were overworked, and that he foresaw a four-day work week becoming the standard in the near future.

Sadly, the idea of eugenics has been around for centuries and used to violate untold numbers of people. Although such practices mostly stopped by the 1970s, there are still forms of it present in the modern world. In the 1930s, one Canadian professor took a unique approach addressing the issue and explaining why his unusual idea would end the debate and make the world a better place all at once.