Biography Of Francis Galton, A Great Researcher

British anthropologist, geographer, inventor, meteorologist, statistician, psychologist and eugenicist. Cousin of Charles Darwin and grandson of Erasmus Darwin,  Francis Galton was one of the most creative minds of the 19th century, and today we’ll talk about his biography.

Galton belonged to the British upper class. He was a professional scientist who hardly fit into a specific discipline, creator of the English biometric school. His contributions to fields as diverse as meteorology and psychology, among others, were extraordinary.

He spent much of his life traveling, like many other scholars of the time, and ended up devoting himself entirely to scientific research. After spending time in meteorology, he developed a growing interest in anthropology, inspired by his cousin Darwin’s work The Origin of Species. As a result, he became an advocate and ideologue of eugenics, the discipline that advocated applying biological laws to improve the human species.

His contributions on individual differences are very important in the field of psychology. In fact, Galton is considered a precursor to knowledge about the genetic basis of cognitive ability. He was  the first to scientifically investigate the genetic and environmental causes of individual differences in humans.

The Early Years of Francis Galton’s Biography

Francis Galton’s biography begins in Duddeston, England, where he was born in 1822. He was a child prodigy. When he was five years old, he had knowledge of mathematics, Greek and Latin,  and by the age of six he was already enjoying adult books.

He attended school until he was sixteen, when he decided to drop out of school because of the curriculum that bored him. His family pressured him as a child to study medicine, a science he would study at King’s College, London. In addition, he studied mathematics at Trinity College and Cambridge University. It was Dalton himself who, years later, alluded to the connection between genius and madness based on his own experience.

In 1844, he invested his time in travel: he went to ancient Constantinople and across Eastern Europe. It reached Egypt, Sudan, Beirut, Damascus and the Jordan Valley. Later, he undertook a long expedition to Namibia and later to Spain. As a result of these travels, he published two books: Explorer in Tropical South Africa (1853) and The Art of Travel  in 1855.

Francis Galton’s Adult Life

He married in 1853. The marriage lasted 43 years, although they had no children. It was from 1860 onwards that Francis Galton devoted himself entirely to scientific research. His love for mathematics led him to develop knowledge in different areas.

In meteorology, he  created the first weather maps published by the Times newspaper   and invented the term anticyclone. On the other hand, his investigations into the human mind required a detailed record of subjective concepts and how the mind deals with mental images. So, in order to put it into practice, he used research methods and questionnaires, having been a pioneer in the use of the latter. Furthermore, his contributions to statistics are numerous.

In the field of anthropology, his inheritance theory and demographic statistics stand out, subjects on which he wrote books such as Hereditary Genius , in 1869, and Natural Inheritance , in 1889. His theories on inheritance were of great importance in his time , although they were surpassed by those of Mendel and Weismann later.

In addition, it highlights its work on fingerprints and eugenics in the field of anthropology.

differential psychology

Francis Galton’s studies of human capabilities led to the  creation of differential psychology and the formulation of the first mental tests  through the development of psychometrics.

He had  a keen interest in measuring every possible facet of human beings. Among them, measures of intellectual dexterity and intelligence capacity.

Francis Galton and eugenics

Galton was the first author to refer to the dilemma between heritage and environment, a debate that continued over the years until it is now considered a question of degree among influential elements.

In 1883 he coined the term eugenics to refer to artificial selection for the betterment of the human race. He came to the conclusion that he believed in the possibility of establishing a “branding” scheme for family merits.

Furthermore, he also considered that, among upper-class families, early marriage should be encouraged through monetary incentives. In fact, he considered later marriages as dysgenic as well as the scarcity of children.

These and other theories served as the basis for ideals of racial superiority, such as those proclaimed by German Nazism. In this way,  the practice of eugenics resulted in racial cleansing, sterilization of people with disabilities, the mentally ill and poor citizens.

England, the United States and some Latin American countries also implemented eugenics programs, but these ended up falling into disrepute for their association with Nazism.