You have probably read Frankenstein by the English writer Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, published in 1918. Although at first glance it may seem like a science fiction or horror tale, it actually explores themes such as scientific morality, the creation and destruction of life, and technology trying to compete with God.
This impressive novel is considered the first text of the science fiction genre. It arose from a 'competition' between Lord Byron, John Polidori (his personal physician), and the married couple Percy and Mary Shelley, during that summer. That year saw the eruption of Mount Tambora, and the northern hemisphere experienced a long, cold 'volcanic winter'. This situation, along with the scientific experiments conducted by Luigi Galvani and the writings of Erasmus Darwin, certainly influenced Mary when writing 'Frankenstein'. From Galvani and his experiments with amphibian muscles, she took the idea of electricity's power to revive inert bodies.
Frankenstein and Science
The story of Victor Frankenstein, a medical student obsessed with knowing "the secrets of heaven and earth" and unraveling "the mysterious soul of man", brings to the table the struggle between science and ethics: can we do anything just because we know how to do it? The interesting thing is that Shelley's writing is close to 200 years old!
Victor manages to breathe life into a body created from the union of different parts obtained from several corpses. The technology used, although not detailed in depth in the book, is the one that was in fashion at the time of writing the novel: electricity. Victor knows how to bring a pile of parts back to life, and he does it. He doesn't stop to think about what will happen later with his creation. He simply sees the opportunity, has the means and knowledge, and does not hesitate to pull the lever that will make electricity flow through the monstrous body to give it life.
The fact that he didn't even give it a name (in the novel it is only referred to as "Frankenstein's monster") gives us an idea of Victor's interests: the creation of life from dead bodies, without caring much about ethical issues or the feelings and problems of his creation.
When Victor Frankenstein realizes the implications of what he has created, he rejects the result of his experiment and flees the laboratory. With great innocence, he believes that by simply denying what he has done, the problem will disappear on its own.
Despite having been written at the beginning of the industrial revolution, the novel is a warning of the conflicts that scientific development can cause. In fact, the creature's rebellion against its creator (and his loved ones) is a clear message of the evils that derive from the irresponsible use of technology and the unforeseen consequences of its use.
The Consequences of Scientific Progress
Good stories, like this one or those of Jules Verne, invite us to make a serious assessment of the drastic consequences that advances in science and technology can bring. Reality is much more worrying than the stories written so many years ago. Take, for example, branches of science such as cloning or nanotechnology. Is it lawful, from a moral and ethical point of view, to modify genes of living beings? Do we know exactly what consequences the elimination or addition of some characteristic in a bacterium can have?
It is completely normal to use genetically modified living organisms to produce medicines. There are also countless plant species that have been changed in their genetic structure to produce better fruits or be resistant to pests and pesticides. But are we sure that they will not become a bigger problem than the one they are helping to solve?
We have erected ourselves on a pedestal formerly reserved for the gods. We take the secret of life in our hands, just as Victor did. Today we know that through a simple process of manipulation of the human genome, individuals with a longer life expectancy, higher IQ, or physical fitness can be obtained.
If we simply limit ourselves to doing everything that science can do, are we not at risk of creating a series of individuals destined for a certain task, with a role already predetermined before their birth? Would they not be the Frankensteins of the future?
The abysmal difference between Doctor Frankenstein's creation and what could come out of a modern laboratory is that the monster that escaped from Victor's laboratory took a few lives. Any virus or genetically modified bacterium against which we do not have antibodies or vaccine can cost us millions of lives, or even extinction. The situation is the same, but the magnitude of the possible disaster is inconceivably greater.
At NeoTeo we are fervent defenders of technology and science, as well as users of all their products, and we are grateful for all the benefits they provide us. But we are also aware that we live in a world that has no backup copy in case something goes wrong. It is very unlikely that a real catastrophe like the ones mentioned will occur, but it would not hurt to debate and agree on the use we make of science.
