The answers to these questions are not clearly defined, and perhaps cannot be. The blurring of the line between life and death is a powerful element to portray in a horror novel, and will certainly show that controlling the spontaneous creation of life itself is not a power that humans should have. I predict that the novel will end by showing that Frankenstein crossed a line that should not have been crossed, serving as a strong social commentary that has only increased in relevance since the day it was written.
Monday, February 17, 2014
How much knowledge is too much?
On page 38, Frankenstein tells the reader that he will not share the secret of his discovery, for he does not want to lead the reader to their "destruction and infallible misery." He goes on to essentially say that ignorance is bliss, and that the acquirement of some knowledge can be dangerous. As the story continues, we see that his discovery of giving life to the nonliving leads to his demise. This begs the question: how much power is too much power? How much knowledge is too much? This is a major theme of the novel, and is an issue that is only increasing in importance today. As the foreword to the book details, new technologies such as gene manipulation are giving humans more and more control of nature. Where do we draw the line? Many agree that human cloning is unethical, but what about genetically modified foods? The term "Frankenfood" has been used to describe genetically engineered crops - a clear allusion to the novel.
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Good point. The theme of knowledge as dangerous is a very interesting one: genetically modified foods and cloning technology are examples of how technology has reached the point where it is ethically questionable what humans can and should be able to do with science. I think it is interesting how, in the last section of the novel, the theme is brought up again in a different sense when knowledge is viewed negatively by the Frankenstein's creation. When he learns more about human society, he discovers how different he is and how he will never be able to fit in with other human beings. He laments, "I cannot describe to you the agony that these reflections inflicted upon me; I tried to dispel them, but sorrow only increased with knowledge" (101). Knowledge is dangerous for Victor Frankenstein because it leads to reckless dangerous creations, while knowledge is bad for his Creature because it leads to a debilitating lack of confidence.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very good point that is very applicable to the current state of technology. After the technology boom of the 90s, we've seen an unmatched growth of invention and productivity. This has manifested in machines continually take the place of humans in the workplace. This phenomenon has occurred in countless industries, especially in factory based one in which labor is relatively simple and easily replicated by a machine. I recently watched a Ted Talk that discussed this very issue ("The Key to Growth" by Erik Brynjolgsson). He proves this occurrence with empirical data. He argues not to fight the pursuit of knowledge, invention and productivity, but rather work with it. I believe that Frankenstein (if a true story) would be a perfect counter to his argument. If we accept the unbounded pursuit of knowledge and invention, we will soon come to a day when a Frankenstein is released into the world with no way to stop him.
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