Frederick Winslow Taylor was an early advocate for applying 'scientific' principles to the management of men, machines, and factories. Few realize, though, the the 'Efficiency Movement' that he helped foment extended well beyond the factory floor. 'Efficiency' clubs sprung up throughout the United States, and the movement found fertile soil elsewhere in the world, as well. These clubs sought to apply Taylor's ideas, referred to as "Taylorism," to a variety of human enterprises that one might not expect, such as schools, libraries, and governments. Indeed, 'efficiency' ascended to the level of a new moral virtue. Many modern institutions today are still imbued with the mindset that Taylor advocated. Another fact that is not well known: Taylor's philosophy was incorporated into the worldviews of people who would carry out some of history's worst atrocities. In the United States, the same men who advanced Taylorism advanced eugenics and compulsory sterilization. Germans lauded...