[Tribune7]

The difference is that the darwinists were executed for being darwinists. The marxists/leninists were executed for being in the way (power struggle) rather than to achieve ideological purity. This kind of thing happens when scientific work become subordinate to the government.

Consider this statement. "This kind of thing happens when scientific work become subordinate to government."

Do you feel there is a ethical difference between executing "someone for being in the way" and "to achieve ideological purity?" Where would Stalin's murders of Christians rank on this scale?

[Doctor Stochastic]

The same as his murder of Jews and Moslems and Shamanists (et alia).

There may be no ethical difference between killing to achieve purity and killing those standing in the way, but there is a great practical difference. Killing the darwinists (indirectly) caused a drop in crop production. (For example, the US during this time increased crop production, much due to the use of evolutionary theory to improve seeds.) There was no power struggle between the Communists and the biologists; except that Lysenko wanted to be boss and had the power to eliminate darwinists.