Frankenstein Scientific Responsibility Essay

The Importance of Responsibility Within Science
A scientist's moral compass must remain keen in order to ensure that their discoveries do not become a detriment to their society. The growing number of scientific experiments in the past several centuries has caused an equal rise in dangers, causing new laws to be formed regarding scientific responsibility. Mary Shelly’s gothic novel Frankenstein follows the tragic hero Victor Frankenstein and his similarly catastrophic creation. Victor is an ambitious scientist whose reckless pursuit of knowledge leads him to create unnatural life. The scientist eventually becomes appalled by his creation and abandons the monster, who goes on to learn human language and reason. After experiencing humanity's

My cheek had grown pale with study, and my person had become emaciated with confinement… I seemed to have lost all soul or sensation but for this one pursuit” (Shelly 55). Victor pursues a single-minded goal and lacks all balance in his life. He does not take care of himself, the decisions he makes are impulsive, and he becomes too dependent on others. Victor’s unstable mentality causes him to not think about the outcomes of his experiment, which leads to tragic results. His inability to balance his life makes him an irresponsible scientist, which causes greater problems for him later on. Another responsibility experimenters must assume is considering the ethical and moral management of their discoveries. Victor does not take responsibility for his creation and hides from it. He fears the monster because he did not consider the possible outcomes that could have arisen. When Victor is forced to create a female mate for the lonely monster, he travels to an isolated cabin in Scotland. While creating a mate for the monster, Victor does not make the same mistake, and this time evaluates the outcomes, exclaiming, “As I sat, a train of reflection occurred to me which led me to consider the effects of what I was

Scientists must explore all possible results in order to control their discoveries. Victor takes on power when creating but lacks the responsibility to control his creations. Instead of being a power and nursing creator, he abandons his experiments. Victor’s lack of responsibility causes the monster to learn and reason which leads it to think as an individual. Later in the novel, when the monster is enraged after Victor destroys his mate, it demonstrates the power it has over Victor. The monster screams, "Slave, I before reasoned with you, but you have proved yourself unworthy of my condescension. Remember that I have power; you believe yourself miserable, but I can make you so wretched that the light of day will be hateful to you. You are my creator, but I am your master; obey!" (Shelly 172) . Victor loses control of his creation and is now unable to control the monster’s actions, which the creature uses to its advantage. The roles of the characters reverse, and the monster asserts his dominance over Victor. The monster now holds the power to be reckless and causes more damage as a result. A creator must protect and guide his or her discoveries to be considered an ethical experimenter. This idea of playing God is also seen in the article. There is an emphasis on creating boundaries within the scientific community that allows for order. Being a creator and forming new life engulfs some