Between the temple and eugenica: ukrainian emigration in the interwar CHSR. Issues of immortality (1921-1939)

• Published in: Volinsʹkij blagovìsnik Vol. 8; pp. 331 - 346
• Main Author: Olha Zubko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Ukrainian
• Published: EIKΩN, publishing house of the Volyn Orthodox Theological Academy 01.10.2020
• Subjects: eugenics; interwar czechoslovakia; medicine; orthodox church; scientific and technological progress; ukrainian emigration
• ISSN: 2519-4348
• DOI: 10.33209/2519-4348-2707-9627-2020-8-88

In the 1920s, after the First World War, humanity, stunned by the progress of science, was ready to believe in its omnipotence. It sincerely hoped that the elixir of immortality would be found, the dead would come to life (Frankenstein‘s image is not just a fiction of the writer, but one of the typical features of the first half of the twentieth century), and, most importantly, an ideal world would be built: without disease, hunger, hard work. And if science is able to improve the world, then it is obviously able to improve man? Many of the experts at the time answered this question in the affirmative. Having success in animal breeding, it was supposed to move to human selection. Whereas from the point of view of the Orthodox Church, science is not evil. Science gets its meaning and shade of orientation thanks to a person who makes a moral choice in his heart. Trying to create comfortable living conditions, get rid of diseases and everything that leads to «bad» and gives life a minor tone, humanity forgets about the causes of their problems, and most importantly – about the source of true Life: God. In attempts to find a cure for death, with an approach to the cause with the best intentions, lie old as the world human pride, arbitrariness, disagreement with the fact that conscious life people should begin not with an escape from the imperfection of life, but with a turn to the Creator. People need first of all to «seek the kingdom of God and His truth, and everything else will be added.» And if the Kingdom of God is within man, then the search for answers to the question of how to achieve this Kingdom does not lie in the eugenics plane. Eugenics, which united the ideas of scientific, social, political, philosophical varieties, preceded the development of medical genetics as a separate scientific field Eugenics, which united the ideas of scientific, social, political, philosophical varieties, preceded the development of medical genetics as a separate scientific field. However, despite the fact that this phenomenon has long belonged to the past, it embodies one of the most farcical and tragic pages of human development. Like the Orthodox Church, Eugenics tried to answer the question, «What is human happiness?» and «Is human immortality possible?».