“Frankenstein,” Mary Shelley’s famous novel, which she wrote when she was just eighteen years old, continues to captivate people all over the world. This narrative still speaks of the present world two centuries after Shelley’s “Frankenstein” first came to life, and its importance cannot be overstated. In Shelley’s work, scientific and technical advancements are not portrayed as wholly demonic. Rather, what is truly hideous is the heartlessness of a creator who cannot or does not wish to anticipate the hazards of his creation. Technological breakthroughs, particularly those connected to artificial intelligence, easily find analogies in the technical risk discovery poses to the natural order of things – “Learn from me, by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge (Shelley 38). When Shelley compares Frankenstein to “Modern Prometheus,” she attempts to reflect on the potential dangers of the scientific knowledge brought by this creation.
Prometheus became a symbol of civilization and reason, as well as scientific knowledge, throughout the romantic era. Victor himself, during his early studies, thought that “the world was a mystery to me that I wanted to know” (Shelley 66). His ambition to learn the world’s mysteries drove him to search beyond what was normal for a man. He aspired to learn more about science and to broaden the scope of human civilization. However, as Prometheus discovered, pushing beyond man’s inherent bounds has repercussions.
Modern Prometheus was Shelley’s subtitle for the novel. For his sins, the archetypal giant who stole fire from the gods and gave it to men was tortured indefinitely. In a parallel story, the incredible Victor Frankenstein breathes life into a creature he does not understand. His achievements are undeniably brilliant, but the untamed flames devour his loved ones, himself, and even his creation. Frankenstein, like Prometheus, takes a gift from the gods that he cannot possess and for which he is severely punished. Shelley’s reinvented Prometheus has never been more current than it is now, in an era of powerful machine learning.
Frankenstein and his creation attempted to crush the existing social order, the human morality itself. Throughout the story, Shelley continuously points out that the dangers of scientific inventions can be horrible and unpredictable. In the desperate trying to create the ideal life form, humanity can create its own destruction. In this regard, Shelley’s novel serves as the brightest example of the duality in the social fear of scientific progress and, at that time, the curiosity that led scientists to breakthroughs. For all the characters in Frankenstein, the heedless pursuit of scientific knowledge results in chaos, tragedy, and despair. The work might be viewed as a critique of the Scientific Revolution because so many characters suffer as a result of scientific discoveries. Victor in Frankenstein represents the idea that unrestrained science may be harmful in the long run, even if it first serves a meaningful purpose.
If not thoroughly researched before being used, potential advancements like artificial intelligence and climate engineering might have severe effects. The creation of such ethically questionable technologies continues despite the warnings contained in books like Frankenstein and many others that technology has advanced too far. The only chance is for society to adjust to the issues and risks they bring about. In this regard, Shelley’s “Frankenstein” serves the eternal purpose of being a reminder of possible consequences.
Work Cited
Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft. Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. Everyman’s Library, 1992.