I hope its okay to raise some points against the logic in the "next logical step".
Absolutely. I would also note that what is the 'next logical step' for OTL is not always such for TTL.
Social Darwinism (from IOTL) were not all nazis and eugenics.
No, but some of it was as bad.
Peter Kropotkin points out in the book "Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution" (1902) that Darwin didn't define the fitest as the the strongest.
True, it should rather have stated that those who fit the environment the best were the ones who thrived.
Its far from all the strongest and the best that survives. Many anymals survives and evolve as spices through cooperation. Humans too. Or in his words "struggle is replaced by co-operation."
But isn't that just another form of strength? "You will be assimilated..."
Its arguable that we don't need to kill the "unfit" and its arguable more "profitable" to be humane and rehabilitate.
No argument from me on that.
The mentally ill, physically deficient and socially backwards have all used precious resources by growing up its a waste to not rehabilitate them into productive participating members of society
A reasonable point of view, though I suppose the nazis would counter that it was throwing good money after bad, as it were. Of course, I find that thoroughly disgusting on many levels, but that's what their argument would likely be.
Or so the argument were before the first great war IOTL. This is setting aside the logical fallacy of Social Darwinism that "natural order" is always somehting good.
Yeah, sometimes nature's a real mutha'.
I hope this gives some good insight for ITTL development of this. Eugenics don't have to be anything stranger than IOTL EUTHENICS in a liberal society.
I appreciate your thoughts, though I already have a pretty clear idea of how this part of the cultural history of TTL will play out. Stay tuned to find out!