by With a story as unnerving and seemingly far-fetched as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein – in which a creature is brought to life from an assortment of human body parts – it would be very easy to highlight the negative aspects of the story. From the moment that readers are introduced to Victor Frankenstein, the scientist displays an arguably unhealthy obsession with finding the secret to the creation of life. Although Victor’s single-minded pursuit of his goal led to a series of unfortunate consequences for himself and others, I would maintain that Victor is still a good scientist.
Clearly, Victor’s creation of an 8-foot-tall human from assorted severed (and stolen) body parts was not a particularly moral endeavor. Nor was Victor’s reaction to his creature’s creation appropriate, as the scientist fled the results of his work, much to the detriment of others. Indeed, Victor’s abandonment of the Creature was not only irresponsible but led directly to the murder of his brother and the death of an innocent woman. Furthermore, Victor’s overall lack of compassion towards the Creature worsens and extends the Creature’s vengeful rampage to claim several more victims. Even if Victor had been more hostile to his dangerous creation and had killed the Creature immediately after the first murders, his actions could have been excused as a necessary solution to his earlier mistakes. Unfortunately for Victor and his loved ones, the scientist’s moral weakness and inaction (following a period of thoughtless action) proved fatal to all involved.
Notwithstanding these moral deficiencies, however, Victor’s scientific achievements themselves deserve recognition. Most scientists would be heartily commended for successfully overcoming a natural barrier as immense as death itself after years of research and dedication. Of course, most scientists would hopefully have the presence of mind to share their progress with the wider scientific community so as to avoid accidentally bringing unforeseen consequences to the world. Still, since the advent of science itself, countless great thinkers, inventors, and academics have had their brainchildren stolen by ambitious or jealous competitors; one cannot exactly blame Victor or any modern scientist for wanting to pursue their own experiments without interference. Victor discovered something amazing – he may not have gone about it well, and he may not have correctly dealt with the fallout of his creation, but he was a good and successful scientist.
Does Frankenstein push us to think about the character of scientists and industry leaders in our society today? Can we really expect every brilliant academic mind to be just as moral and responsible as they are inventive? I certainly do not think that all innovators have a particularly strong moral compass, especially today. In our heavily capitalist global economy, many of the people bringing cutting-edge advancement to society are firstly concerned with maximizing their own profit. Take Elon Musk for example – his companies have revolutionized how the American (and global) public view electric cars and space exploration, but his loyalties do not necessarily lie exclusively with “science” for the sake of progress alone. Let me be clear that I have nothing against Elon Musk, though – quite the opposite. As Frankenstein shows us, it is far better to have industry leaders working in the public eye than for them to be working in secrecy, which seriously increases the danger of innovations that may already be significantly hazardous.