Teaching about the Holocaust, and the role of eugenics in it, in the science curricula of Maine’s public schools is a misguided idea. Science teachers are already pressed for time to teach students about the scientific method and the technical content of their courses. A more appropriate and thorough discussion of this topic is better suited to a history or civics class. Events leading to the Holocaust, and the Holocaust itself, are best discussed in the context of other genocides of the 20th century, such as the ones in Armenia, Cambodia and Rwanda.
An additional topic that could be included in this discussion is the political disregard of science. One example from the 1930s is the rejection of the new physics of relativity and quantum mechanics in Nazi Germany. It was derisively called “white Jew physics” and dismissed in favor of the nationalist movement toward “German physics” or “Aryan physics.”
A more recent example is the rejection of volumes of data by politicians that show the effects of climate change being visited upon us. Witness former President Trump’s remark that climate change is a hoax invented by China. Events like the recent rain and wind storm are now becoming the norm in Maine, and supported by data.
Teaching about the Holocaust and other abuses of science-related material are important enough to best be taught where enough time can be given to have a thorough discussion among students and teachers rather than just a brief tangential exposition.
Samuel Rosenthal
Portland
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