Robert E. Kuttner (March 10, 1927 – February 19, 1987) was an American

biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...

and

white supremacist White supremacy is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White supremacy has roots in the now-discredited doctrine ...

.Jackson, John P. (2005). ''Science for Segregation: Race, Law, and the Case against Brown v. Board of Education''. New York University Press. pp. 60-65.

Biography

Kuttner was born in

Queens, New York Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

. He obtained a Ph.D. in zoology from the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university system with its main campus in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School, named after two benefactors. In 1893, ...

. He was an initial director of the

International Association for the Advancement of Ethnology and Eugenics The International Association for the Advancement of Ethnology and Eugenics (IAAEE) was an organisation that promoted eugenics and segregation, and the first publisher of ''Mankind Quarterly''. History IAAEE was founded in 1959 and has headquart ...

and was contributor and associate editor to Charles Lee Smith's '' Truth Seeker''.Sussman, Robert W. (2014). ''The Myth of Race: The Troubling Persistence of an Unscientific Idea''. Harvard University Press. p. 223. Kuttner opposed

miscegenation Miscegenation ( ) is marriage or admixture between people who are members of different races or ethnicities. It has occurred many times throughout history, in many places. It has occasionally been controversial or illegal. Adjectives describin ...

and believed it was "unnatural", only found amongst

zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility where animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes. The term ''zoological garden'' refers to zoology, ...

animals. He described his own position as "

scientific racism Scientific racism, sometimes termed biological racism, is the pseudoscience, pseudoscientific belief that the Human, human species is divided into biologically distinct taxa called "race (human categorization), races", and that empirical evi ...

". He identified as a

Nordicist Nordicism is a Scientific racism, racialist ideology which views the "Nordic race" (a Historical race concepts, historical race concept) as an White genocide conspiracy theory, endangered and Master race, superior Race (human categorization), rac ...

and argued against

racial equality Racial equality is when people of all Race (human categorization), races and Ethnic group, ethnicities are treated in an egalitarian/equal manner. Racial equality occurs when institutions give individuals legal, moral, and Civil and political r ...

. Kuttner stated that

Negro In the English language, the term ''negro'' (or sometimes ''negress'' for a female) is a term historically used to refer to people of Black people, Black African heritage. The term ''negro'' means the color black in Spanish and Portuguese (from ...

es were racially inferior, they had failed to build and create civilization and they lacked intelligence. He testified in Congress to oppose school integration. Anthropologist Robert Sussman described Kuttner as a "lifelong neo-Nazi". Kuttner collaborated on racial ideas about "

biopolitics Biopolitics is a concept popularized by the French philosopher Michel Foucault in the mid-20th century. At its core, biopolitics explores how governmental power operates through the management and regulation of a population's bodies and lives. ...

" with

Eustace Mullins Eustace Clarence Mullins Jr. (March 9, 1923 – February 2, 2010) was an American white supremacist, antisemitic conspiracy theorist, propagandist, Holocaust denier, and writer. A disciple of the poet Ezra Pound, * * * * * * * * * * * * h ...

. He wrote for Roger Pearson's ''Northern World'', the floundering ''

The American Mercury ''The American Mercury'' was an American magazine published from 1924Staff (Dec. 31, 1923)"Bichloride of Mercury."''Time''. to 1981. It was founded as the brainchild of H. L. Mencken and drama critic George Jean Nathan. The magazine featured w ...

'' and was an editor of the ''

Mankind Quarterly ''Mankind Quarterly'' is a pseudoscientific journal that covers physical and cultural anthropology, including human evolution, intelligence, ethnography, linguistics, mythology, archaeology, and biology. It has been described as a "cornersto ...

''. He edited the essay collection ''Race and Modern Science'' in response to the 1967 document Statement on Race and Racial Prejudice issued by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

. ''Race and Modern Science'' was negatively reviewed by Sherwood Washburn, who described it as a "useful source book for racists. Anthropologists need not bother with it."Washburn, Sherwood. (1968). ''Reviewed Work: Race and Modern Science: A Collection of Essays by Biologists, Anthropologists, Sociologists and Psychologists by Robert E. Kuttner''. ''

American Anthropologist ''American Anthropologist'' is the flagship journal of the American Anthropological Association The American Anthropological Association (AAA) is an American organization of scholars and practitioners in the field of anthropology. With 10,000 m ...

'' 70: 1035-1037.

Selected publications

* Kuttner, Robert E. (ed.) ''Race and Modern Science''. New York: Social Science Press, 1967.

References

Winston A. Science in the service of the far right: Henry E. Garrett, the IAAEE, and the Liberty Lobby - International Association for the Advancement of Ethnology - Experts in the Service of Social Reform: SPSSI, Psychology, and Society, 1936-1996. ''Journal of Social Issues'', Spring, 1998.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuttner, Robert E. 1927 births 1987 deaths American atheists American neo-Nazis American eugenicists Freethought writers Scientists from Queens, New York University of Connecticut alumni Scientists from New York (state) 20th-century American biologists Proponents of scientific racism Liberty Lobby members