Your use of empirical was correct. As shown by our species' manipulation of animals, if you breed for certain characteristics, you eventually get those characteristics. The difference is that no one cares if the blue ribbon heifer has a good personality.
If eugenicists had a narrow scope of desired physical characteristics, they could attain those goals. Now if you're talking psychological characteristics, then empirical gets replaced with theoretical. The paradox there is that eugenicists are the last people you want selecting for human decency.
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