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  • Essay / Mary Shelley's perception of bioethics and science...

    In 1816, a time accompanied by great political and industrial revolutions, Mary Shelley wrote the novel Frankenstein. While Frankenstein comments on some modern anxieties – parenthood, isolation and abandonment – ​​the novel also addresses the meaning and fears behind bioethics and scientific discovery. The idea of ​​science and discovery thrives in this horror story, in which Victor Frankenstein's scientific ambitions harm rather than help humanity and himself. The falsification or modification of nature also arises from this fear of scientific discovery. By analyzing the journey and consequences of Victor Frankenstein's monstrous creation, Mary Shelley questions the good of scientific discovery and judges its harmful effects. In the novel, Victor Frankenstein's interests and studies lead him to discover the astonishing secrets of the creation of life, which causes him to become absorbed in his obsession. Mary Shelley seems to disapprove of scientific discoveries for this very reason. One of the reasons that motivates Victor to continue his project is that he believes that his scientific discovery has the power to ensure him a certain fame: “from the middle of this darkness, a sudden light struck me... I am surprised that among so many men of genius who had directed their research towards the same science, that I am the only one to be reserved to discover such an astonishing secret” (38). But over time, he becomes so immersed in his work that it becomes difficult for him to stop: “At the beginning, I doubted whether I should try to create a being like me or a being with a simpler organization ; but my imagination was too excited by my first success to allow me to doubt my abilities ...... middle of paper ...... unnatural and goes against "God's creation"; it also posed a threat to those close to him, while leading to his own physical and mental deterioration. Modern science addresses exactly the issues that Shelley was acutely aware of while illustrating the journey and consequences of Frankenstein's ambition. In a society where technological and scientific progress is highly valued, people are so caught up in the idea of ​​moving forward that it becomes inevitable. People end up being blinded by their desires and forget how this can negatively affect one's well-being as an individual and as a whole. Ultimately, Mary Shelley recognizes that the future of scientific discovery, if left unchecked, could be detrimental; his novel serves as a warning to readers, past and present, about one's own powers and how they can affect the world in which they live..