Henk Van Den Belt Frankenstein Quotes

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The novel “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley serves as a cautionary tale of the importance of caring for any life that we create. The novel narrates the life of a curious scientist, Victor Frankenstein, whose intense experimentation led to the death of himself and many of his loved ones. He had a particular interest in creating a life, and spent many months working on this project in solitude. Frankenstein was successful in recreating human life, but his lack of care for the Creature that he created ultimately pushed him to act in violence. The article “Frankenstein lives on” by Henk Van Den Belt examines the ways in which Frankenstein went wrong in the creation of the Creature, and the important lessons that present-day explorers can take from …show more content…

The article discusses ways that “Frankenstein” should serve as a lesson and impact the actions of present-day scientists. Van Den Belt focuses on an overarching theme of the novel, which is the possible dangers of scientific exploration. He writes, “The story is commonly taken to imply a dire warning about the dangers of scientific hubris” (Van Den Belt). Victor Frankenstein, the main character of the novel, is an iconic example of a science experiment gone wrong. In many different aspects, the story should be studied by explorers to prevent the repetition of Frankenstein’s errors. The article “Frankenstein lives on” focuses on these errors, and the lessons learned that we can implement in modern day experimentation. Scientific exploration can be risky, but learning from Frankenstein’s mistakes can help us to create a more successful scientific …show more content…

One major reason that the Creature was created in the first place was Frankenstein’s self-isolation during his experimentation process. He lived and worked alone for many consecutive months, keeping this project completely to himself. The lack of feedback from others allowed Frankenstein’s unnatural experimentation ideas to come to fruition. The article “Frankenstein lives on” written by Henk Van Den Belt considers the necessity of outsider input when undertaking such large and complex projects. He writes, “...it is really hubris when researchers work in secret like Frankenstein and fail to seek advice from others” (Van Den Belt). Working on projects as consequential as recreating human life without any outsider input can be very dangerous. Especially when living an isolated life, being constantly alone with your ideas may allow them to get out of control. For current researchers, specifically in the fields of artificial intelligence, gaining multiple perspectives is essential for a safe and successful final