While living in a society in which we are always driving technology forward, there is a looming fear over many who wonder when we may go too far. It is inevitable that there must be a point where the line is drawn, and the introduction of certain technologies may no longer be beneficial. Where this point lies or what technologies it includes are unknown, and how to find them remains a mystery. 

As seen in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, a young scientist Victor Frankenstein re-created a man by sewing pieces of a corpse back together and placing a brain inside. When Victor finished and his monster awoke, he was disgusted and frightened with what he had made. Victor seemed to have just crossed the invisible line of going too far  

While working, what Frankenstein did creating life and tampering with the natural creation of life went terribly wrong for him. In 2017 the first human embryos were modified by a group of researchers in Portland, Oregon. Unfortunately for the results of the study, none of the embryos were ever allowed to develop for more than a few days. What if the embryos were aloud to grow though and the results went awry much like Victor Frankenstein’s? In both instances what was being done was human “playing God.” This role of “playing God” attempting to recreate life and push technological boundaries is like a difficult tightrope walk. Each step forward you make must be extremely thought out and delicate; one step in the wrong direction and the tightrope walker will fall. The tampering with life is a popular tightrope to walk, but it should be acknowledged that the risks are far too great. Technology has made simple tasks, large jobs, and our lives simpler over time and that is exactly what it should be used for. One major problem with technological growth is that we control it and, sadly, people often have trouble foreseeing the consequences of our actions.

Victor Frankenstein created his monster prior to thinking what he would do when he finished and the being awakened. The difference between this and more common innovations like iphones, self-driving cars, and many others is that after being made they do not ponder why they’ve suddenly been brought to life. The feeling of question and uncertainty in life is simply unfair to create. In Shelley’s Frankenstein the monster feels this way and wants someone similar to himself to share life with. Unfortunately, after being scared by what he had done Frankenstein would not repeat his mistake and that is exactly what it was, a mistake. Those who do not fully contemplate the dangers of their work risk encounters with the disgust in their own inventions.

Colliding with questionable technologies is a problem that will hover around technology as long as it keeps progressing, and its impacts on society will remain uncertain. To prevent any situations similar to the one in Shelley’s Frankenstein, consideration of whether a new technology is advantageous to society must precede its creation.