Eugenics and the Classical Ideal of Beauty in Philip K. Dick's "The Golden Man"

Abstract

Philip K. Dick's short story "The Golden Man" (1954) is a compelling portrayal of the threat to the human race posed by a beautiful male mutant. It is also a powerful critique of the classical ideal of male beauty that was integral to the early-to-mid-twentieth-century eugenics movement. Dick wrote "The Golden Man" at a time when eugenics had lost much of its appeal due to its association with the Nazis and their racial projects. Yet the classical ideal of beauty had already become a widely accepted norm due to its incorporation into American manufacturing via the streamlining movement. The mutant in Dick's story is a competitive threat to humanity and particularly to human males because his..