by In Frankenstein, there are various messages conveyed about science, technology, and human conditions, mainly those regarding the human psyche and the clash between medical and moral ethics. These themes that we saw portrayed either by Victor Frankenstein or his monster are still relevant today. Although Mary Shelley’s work is a work of fiction, Victor Frankestein’s work in the novel still challenges many “rules” or code of ethics that are in place today, while also giving a glimpse into the human condition: our emotion and the effect of mental instability in its most raw state. One of the biggest questions that the novel poses is the ethics of creating life: what are the boundaries and what are the consequences for seemingly crossing these boundaries. Is it wrong to do so and push these limits of scientific ethics? I argue that it is not.
In the novel, Victor Frankestein’s motives for creating the monster as well as this mixture of human parts as a substance granting immortality are selfish in nature. His morals are in question based purely off why he decided to engage in his work. Regardless, his work is successful and he becomes the essence of a “mad scientist”. As the story progresses though, it becomes an almost fable for the consequences for creating life and “playing god”. Frankenstein’s monster acts as karma for Victor’s indiscretions, and his erratic and very emotional mental state is meant to show why life should not be meddled with to this extent. Nevertheless, as a scientist, it isn’t short of a duty to examine and attempt to expand people’s understanding and comprehension of the world; to push the boundaries of our knowledge of the universe.
As we have read with Shapin’s Scientific Revolution, scientific knowledge is constantly evolving and growing in complexity to achieve this task. In some cases, scientists violate the norms and ethics of that time, with such examples including Galileo with Astronomy and Darwin with Evolution. Frankenstein explores one of the most extreme and controversial ideas of science, that being creating life through artificial means. Per our discussion in class, Victor Frankenstein didn’t have the best intentions at heart when he created his monster, meaning he wasn’t the best person morally. Yet, he expanded the realm of scientific discovery and pushed the boundaries of what we thought humans were capable of, revolutionizing his scientific field, thus making him a good scientist in that aspect. We may not acknowledge this advancement as a good thing because it still violates the code of ethics we have for science and medicine today. But regardless of it being fact or fiction, the message of creating life through artificial means and its effect on the human psyche are especially relevant today, specifically to the recent advancements in gene editing and CRISPR which has already led to questions on medical ethics. In short, Frankenstein was a good scientist because he attempted to advance our knowledge of the world in creating life. He pushed the boundaries of our understanding and paid the price, potentially a warning for our medical and scientific advancements today, and the consequences that may follow if we attempt to challenge the current understanding of the creation of life.