In her article “Why Frankenstein Matters: Frontiers in Science, Technology, and Medicine,” Dr. Audrey Shafer, of Stanford Medical School, offers scientific and humanistic reasons for reading Shelley’s novel. The excerpts below are from Shafer’s article. Select ONE of these on which to respond. Be sure to use specific references (quotes or examples) from the novel, as well as connections to current explorations in science, to guide your response.
A. “Science is, by its very nature, an exploration of new frontiers, a means to discover and test new ideas […]. Science is equated with progress and with advances in knowledge and understanding of our world and ourselves. Although a basic tenet of science is to question, there is an underlying belief, embedded in words like ‘advances’ and ‘progress,’ that science will better our lives.”
Based on your reading of the novel, is the focus of Victor’s scientific experimentation one that will give humans a better understanding of themselves and of their world”? In other words, is Victor’s work an “advance[ment] and progress that will better the lives of humankind?
B. “Frankenstein is not only the first creation story to use scientific experimentation as its method, but it also presents a framework for […] examining the morality and ethics of the experiment and experimenter.”
What are Victors’s moral and ethical beliefs? Where do you see him acting on these beliefs? Where do you see him acting against these beliefs? How do your moral and ethical beliefs correspond with or go against Victor’s? Based on your views, is Victor a moral and ethical being?
morality: A set of beliefs as to what is right and what is wrong, or what is good and what is bad.
ethics: A set of moral principles (beliefs) that guides one’s behaviors and actions.
Frankie, Baby! 
Victor Frankenstein’s work is one that will give humans a better understanding of how life works and the basics or nature. It has been said that all great discoveries started with a curiosity. Victor has made great discoveries when it came to him creating the creature we as readers have come to know is a monster. In the novel Victor had to learn how the human body worked before assembling all the pieces to create his creature. Because of him studying the function of different body parts I believe that it was his own discovery that pushed humans to think deeper about human life and how we can improve modern medicine and maybe even leading to different transplants. Victor’s passion is also something we see in our lives today. We may not realize it but all the works in medicine originated from Victor Frankenstein’s own work. Victor Frankenstein’s work is one that will better the lives of humankind.
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I completely agree with you Manny, on how Victors creation lead to many medical advances, like surgeries and transplants. This was an improvement that I haven’t thought about, thoughtfully. This is an overall advancement that is indeed helpful.
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I agree with how you argue that the creation of Frankenstein’s creature allows one to better understand how life works and the basics of nature. However, I part ways with you when you argue that 1. his work will better the lives of humankind and 2. his work has catalyzed the improvement of modern day science. I believe what really needs to be illuminated is how Victors creation that he determines to be a “demon” and a “catastrophe” is a message to humankind. His passion fueled by wanting to discover the unknown resulted in him creating a creature that he completely hates. Victor’s creation symbolizes that we should not try to be god and we should not try to produce what is beyond our human ability because if we do not like what we have created, we might end up regretting it. Also, we may even produce things that are quite unnecessary and way too powerful, such as nuclear weapons, which Wei gets at in his response.
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I am on the same boat as Ty. Although Victor’s creation is astonishing, his purpose is not for the sake of humanity, but rather his ego-inflation or the desire to become a human god. But Victor’s new discovery can contribute to the future medical field. Perhaps in the future, mankind can actually prolong people’s lives.
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Modern technology and science advance each day. One example would be the invention of nuclear bombs. But do they always support the advancement of humanity or could it be destruction? The focus of Victor’s scientific experimentation serves as a warning to the consequences of science or technology advancement. When the death of Justine and William occurs, Victor damned because of his curiosity and sinful hand. “Thus spoke my prophetic soul… the first hapless victims to my unhallowed arts” (89). Since Victor creates a living being with his science abilities, the creation will continue to cause grief and demises of Victor’s families. This murder scene replicates the potential consequences of what advanced science or technology brings. Ultimately, Victor’s monster or advance science will only bring more harm to humanity. Perhaps, if Victor takes great care of his creation rather than abandon him. Then this advanced science can be a new development to mankind instead of a rampage. Connecting the story to modern society, researchers or scientists should test the outcomes of new sciences or technologies before executing like Victor. “If the study to which you apply yourself has a tendency to weaken your affections, and to destroy your taste for those simple pleasures in which no alloy might mix, then that study is certainly unlawful” (56)
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This is a really interesting and thought provoking response Wei Mai the science guy. I agree with all of what you said, so Ill expand on the second half of your response, which is how if Victor was to care and love his creation rather than loathe and abandon it then there would be a much more positive outcome. I believe that we should work to create advancements in science that are good for humans, not detrimental. Things produced just to demonstrate power and intelligence are quite more selfish than ones that are produced to better human life. Victor took multiple years to gather parts that he believed would make his creation superior and beautiful. Now, expanding on the first half of your response and connecting it to what I said above, the same way Victor wanted to demonstrate his power and superiority is akin to the United States and other hegemonic countries creating atomic bombs and nuclear weapons.
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Juan P:
Humankind Advancement
Victor Frankenstein’s work and creation of the creature shows an impact in today’s society. The oppression and rude remarks that one gives to others based on solemnly their looks and not the person they are inside. To me there is 2 parts to Victor’s discovery and their impacts on todays society. One is the improvement of science and of surgery. The idea of transplants and surgery’s to cure specific things in ones body to me came from the idea of Victor finding specific body parts for his creation. The other part is the idea of oppressions and just being rude, when Victor called out his creation for being ugly and a demon. This type of language and rudeness is around today as people call rude names to people who they consider ‘ugly’ and not human. So the answer to the question is no, Victor’s science doesn’t give a better understanding of the world, because discrimination of ones appearance is still around and people don’t understand the impact that has.
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I Agree with Juan, Science definitely has it’s upsides, but many scientists fail to keep that sense of morale and ethics. They tend to let the anguish and disappoint them and overthrow that sense of reason.
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Victor’s moral beliefs are based on benevolence and beauty. He seems to believe that beauty and physical appearance is what determines a person’s worth and virtue. Victor states about Justine that, “all the kindness, which her beauty might otherwise have excited”(Shelley 82) and he states about his creation, “rash ignorance which I had let loose upon the world”(Shelley 80). These two quotes demonstrate how Victor determines what is right and what is deemed wrong based on looks, note that throughout the whole story everyone is illustrated as benevolent and beautiful, while his creation he perceives as horrifying and ugly is considered a “demon” and “catastrophe.” Victor’s ethical beliefs are predicated on his incessant passion for knowledge that no man has ever laid thought on. This drive that Victor demonstrates allows him to gather the knowledge he needed to create his creature or amazing scientific advancement, which resulted in the outcome of something he deemed as terrifying. In addition, Victor acts against his ethical beliefs of knowledge by shunning his own creation and abandoning it, which exemplifies how he prioritized his moral beliefs of beauty and benevolence over his passion for knowledge and the unknown of the scientific field. In the beginning of chapter 5 Victor explains how he had worked extremely hard for nearly two years just for the outcome to be a breathless horror that filled his heart with disgust, which illustrates his abandonment from his deep passion to seek knowledge. My moral and ethical beliefs are quite different from Victor’s due to the fact that I know that one should not be judged by how they look on the exterior, but judged based on their personality and inner goodness. We tend to always determine someone’s worth based on how they look and how well they fit in, which prevents us from providing love and care for those we deem as “unacceptable” or “unworthy.” We must judge a person based on their character and not based on their physical appearance. It is one’s character that determines their true beauty, not their countenance. Lastly, I believe that Victor’s inability to love and care for his creation because he is discontent with how he looks makes him an immoral and unethical being. Victor’s creation did not ask to be brought to life and he did not ask to be abandoned by the one who created them. So, the very fact that Victor is too overpowered by the looks of his creation to even care for it and deem it as something magnificent, rather than “demoniacal” does not allow for him to be seen as a benevolent being.
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