The Rise of American Lysenkoism

One particular aspect of Soviet society that is often overlooked is just how ideological it was, especially in its early period. Everything was subjected to demonstrate the truth and benefit of Marxist ideology, no matter what the facts actually revealed. This is why so little academic work produced in the Soviet Union is of any real value – it is pure ideological nonsense. Perhaps nowhere is this better observable than in the academic field of history, which should be no surprise considering how Marxism is, among other things, a way of perceiving history. No matter what the subject was, Soviet historians labored to narrate a history that depicted an oppressed lower-class struggling against an oppressive upper-class. Any sort of nuance was thrown out, as that would not fit within Soviet doctrine. And while the study of history is the most prominent example of poor Soviet scholarship, it is far from the only one. In fact, because of the extreme focus on proving Marxism, fields like mathematics and physics are the only subjects Soviet scholars were able to excel in. Of course, that is because mathematics and physics are extremely abstract fields, they were difficult to impose Marxism on.

But perhaps the most tragic example of this can be seen in biology with the imposition of Lysenkoism. Before discussion on this begins, a little background work is needed. What first must be understood is that Marxists, from the very beginning, have been enthralled with Darwinian evolution and its promise of progress and constant change. Marx actually sent Charles Darwin a copy of Das Kapital, although it appears Darwin never read it. When Marx died, his collaborator, Friedrich Engels, predicted in his eulogy to Marx that Marxism would one day become to the social sciences what Darwinism is to biology – the overriding theory. By contrast, Marxists have been less enthralled with Mendelian genetics, as it puts hard limits on what change is possible and suggests a continuity with the past that Marxists abhor. Mendel’s work was initially rejected by mainstream biologists as too farfetched, but around 1900 it enjoyed widespread acceptance. To have a theory so opposed to their hopes of completely reengineering society was particularly painful for Marxists because it undermined one of Marx’s central claims, that his form of socialism, unlike the utopian socialists that tried to appeal to moral desires, was a scientific socialism, a socialism that had the backings of natural forces that made it inevitable. In the eyes of Marxists, to oppose their coming of socialism was tantamount to denying gravity. But now a theory had arisen that revealed, despite what the Marxists claimed, that there were strict limits on what change was possible; additionally, it demonstrated that inherited traits, rather than simply environment, were a major factor in determining how organisms acted.

Faced with this dilemma, the Soviet government embraced a full-scale rejection of genetics in favor of Lysenkoism (named after Soviet biologist Trofim Lysenko). Essentially, Lysenkoism is a form of neo-Lamarckism that states that organisms can acquire certain traits and pass them down to their offspring; this is in contrast to Mendelian genetics which asserts that genes, which cannot be changed, are responsible for the traits of an offspring. The Mendelian view, of course, considers the possibility of change as being far more limited; therefore, it was a threat to the dream of a Marxist utopia. Soviet authorities moved to ruthlessly suppress biologists who adhered to Mendelian genetics. But the problems ran far deeper than what was happening to professional biologists. The Soviets also tried to impose these flatly wrong theories on crop production. The results were, of course, disastrous crop failures. There are many reasons for the massive famines of the early Soviet Union. To a large degree, these crop failures were purely intentional to suppress and punish the Soviet populations. However, there was also an element of ideological-driven blind naivete in Soviet Lysenkoism.

As it stands now, the United States is in its own Lysenkoist period. The scientific “community” has been taken over by ideologues pushing a ludicrous leftwing agenda. Certain questions are forbidden, such as the link between genetics and intelligence. As usual, leftists have had a long-standing problem with genetics. But it also goes deeper that that single issue, hence why we hear claims like the scientific community is overwhelmingly in favor of “gender-affirming care” for children. The fact that they even use this euphemism indicates just how deeply ideological they are, and the fact that they are so devoted to this sickness is even further proof. It is also why they make absurd claims like that there is no real difference between male and female athletes. Venus and Serena Williams are generally considered to be the two best female tennis players in history (note: I don’t follow tennis, but this is my general understanding). However, in 1998, during the height of their careers, they were defeated by the 203^rd ranked male player. Both the United States and Australian women’s soccer teams lost – in a blowout – to a 15 and under boy’s squad. And need I even mention what happened with COVID, both the lockdowns and the vaccine?

In fact, the current state of the scientific community in the United States is even worse that it was during the Lysenkoist period of the Soviet Union. And not just because they are more depraved, although that certainly is a factor. Remember when I mentioned earlier that the Soviets were able to excel in certain subjects, such as mathematics and physics, because their abstract nature was able to form a protective cushion from Marxist ideology? The American Lysenkoists have found ways to impose their ideology on even these subjects. As ridiculous and laughable as the “math is racist” claims are, these claims demonstrate a commitment to an ideology stronger than what the Soviets could come up with. At least the Soviets had mathematics and physics, which played an important part in the Soviet space race success. Meanwhile, Soviet history amounts to a giant series of paperweights.

The American Empire does not even have that going for it now – no subject is safe from Globohomo doctrine. Much like the Soviet Union, American science is set to fall behind nations that do not impose ideology on their scientists; instead, letting them work freely to explore truths no matter how uncomfortable they might be. I considered Michael Polanyi to be one of the greatest philosophers of science of the 20^th Century, and he was absolutely right when he stated that science must be free from ideological constraints to truly work.

Because of the takeover by leftwing fanatics, phrases like “Trust the Science” and “The Science Agrees” are rendered meaningless. The scientific establishment, much like everything else in late American society, has been taken over by anti-male and anti-White leftists, and they will bend the science to fit their ideology. The Soviet Union went through this with Lysenkoism, and now the United States is going through something very similar. Soviet science was wrecked, despite some individual scientists being quite brilliant, and the same fate will befall the American Empire.

Harmonica