Final answer:
Eugenics is the concept of improving humanity through controlled breeding, a practice now widely condemned due to its unethical implications and historical misuse, particularly by the Nazi regime. Discussions around modern genetic engineering and "designer babies" have revived some of these ethical debates.Option 2 is the correct answer.
Step-by-step explanation:
The idea that humanity can be improved by strictly controlled breeding is known as eugenics. Eugenics is a pseudoscientific field that was once aimed at improving the genetic quality of the human population by controlled breeding to increase the occurrence of desirable heritable characteristics. Developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, eugenics relied on the belief that it was possible to distinguish between superior and inferior elements of society and to promote the reproduction of the former while reducing or eliminating the reproduction of the latter.
However, the eugenics movement became infamous through its association with the Nazi regime, which adopted eugenic principles to justify horrific acts of genocide in an attempt to create a so-called 'superior' race. Following World War II, the eugenics movement was largely discredited due to its unethical nature and its association with Nazi war crimes.
In modern times, questions of genetic engineering and the creation of "designer babies" with desirable traits have reignited discussions around eugenics. This intersects with complex ethical issues regarding selective breeding and biotechnological interventions in human reproduction.