"You are perfect just the way you are," many have heard this saying before, but that was not the case in the eyes of a devoted scientist, Aylmer. He saw all the imperfections the world had and he was desperately trying to create a world that was flawless. Georgiana, his wife, was otherwise perfect except for her "fatal flaw of humanity," (Hawthorne 419). The human race is filled with flaws; from the way one thinks, from body defects and to everyday mistakes. To alter/manipulate a being to become perfect is playing God. Imperfections make humans who they are and taking away these imperfections rips away the humanity of a being. Science is beneficial in finding new discoveries, yet there is a limit science shall not cross for it may come with consequences. …show more content…
It was something mystical, as if one were playing in God's realm. Aylmer was fascinated with this new world of his. In other words he was in love with science. Science gave him a sense of power which he believed could control nature, God's creation. With the new discoveries science had made, Aylmer started losing sight of what a human was capable of doing. "Doubt not my power... [I shall] create a being less perfect than yourself. Georgiana, you have led me deeper than ever into the heart of science," (Hawthorne 421). At this moment Aylmer was playing God, ready to strip Georgiana of her birth-mark, her humanity. He had great faith in his capabilities and science, rather than a greater being. Science is enthralling and helps humanity better understand the wonders the world has to offer. However, science cannot always explain the mysteries of life. That is when faith takes
Humans have been known to seek perfection/true beauty for centuries, yet there has always been a limit to these ventures. Hawthorne’s “The Birth-Mark” shows us the extent of action that an obsessed scientist will conduct, even to his own wife, in the hopes of obtaining perfection without knowing the depth of true beauty. Aylmer becomes disgusted/obsessed with his wife Georgiana’s birthmark that is shaped like a small crimson colored hand. He acknowledges that his wife is beautiful and the narrator states/suggests that she would be perfect were it not for the birthmark that mars her lovely face (“The Works”). Hawthorne utilizes the theme of relentless striving for perfection, symbolizes the birthmark and other elements in the story, and foreshadows the conclusion of the story throughout the piece, to ultimately produce this complex psychological struggle that the protagonist goes through.
Science and faith are generally viewed as two topics that do not intermingle. However, Andy Crouch’s work, Delight in Creation, suggests that there is an approach to both faith and science that allows support of scientists in the church community. There is an approach that can regard science as a career that can reflect the nature of God.
In Nathanial Hawthorne’s “The Birth-Mark,” Aylmer, a crazed, “mad-scientist,” seeks to remove the scarlet handprint birthmark from his wife, Georgiana’s cheek. From the opening of the work, the third person narrator describes Aylmer’s obsession with science and the adverse effects it has had on his social life. Aylmer is tied up in this battle within himself and with his assigned association between the natural and the spiritual world. He wishes to have as much control over these colliding worlds as possible, granting himself god-like power and control in the process. In the art of manipulating nature through science, Aylmer believes he is able to alter the spiritual aspects of the natural as well. Aylmer’s focus on spirituality is Hawthorne’s way of commenting on mankind’s fixation on sin and redemption.
If people are constantly motivated to become something that is not real, they shall never reach a sense of fulfillment and therefore keep working towards the goal. At one point in the story, Hawthorne writes, “[Aylmer] was very confident in his science,” to the point where he was positive, “he could draw a magic circle round [Georgiana] within which no evil might intrude” (Hawthorne 5).
Society longs for a perfect model to show how humanity should be. Throughout history, perfection has been looked for in gods and other-worldly beings, yet never in humans. Perhaps this is because perfection is subjective and unattainable. Each person can have their own idea of what makes someone perfect, which can make the most ideal person, imperfect. One simple flaw can be seen as imperfect. Despite that, with the advancement of technology and media, people try to become perfect through surgeries and other, more damaging, processes. In “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, a scientist believes that the removal of his wife’s birthmark can make her perfect, or rather, his idea of perfect. Hawthorne uses symbolism, foreshadowing, and dark romantic ideals to say that while attempting to be perfect, you can be hurting yourself or others.
It is hard to say that one is human and perfect at the same time. Human beings are not capable of achieving perfection; if that would be so, humans would stop being humans. By nature the human race is full of flaws, some appearing as early as in the womb. From defects in the body, to defects in the mind, to the mistakes that one makes in quotidian life, it is impossible to deny that human imperfection exists. To try to manipulate humans into perfection is not only impossible, but it takes away the very essence of being a human being. The short story “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorn, illustrates this teaching through the character of Aylmer, an ambitious and devoted scientist who is appalled by his wife Georgiana’s birthmark, believing it to be a perceivable sign of her human flaws and eagerly waits to remove it from her cheek. This story raises riveting questions such as, what is humanity all about, can human beings ever achieve perfection through science, is Hawthorn attacking science or a wider issue, and more significantly, should science take the place of God. Through the use of symbolism in “The Birthmark”, Hawthorn indirectly implies that imperfection is an essential part of being human and that science should not interfere; thus he is hinting his personal views toward science and its limitations over nature.
Science, in this particular story, is represented by Aylmer who thinks of himself as a great scientist. He conducts a scientific experiment in the need to remove his wife’s birthmark. He tries everything he knows to create a magical potion to remove Georgiana’s flaw. Georgiana on the other hand represents nature. Georgiana represents the closest state to perfection that man can aspire to, but her husband is still not content. Feeling that it will be the only possible way to save her marriage, she gives in and tells him to prepare the experiment. In the need to impress her husband, she allows him to experiment with the removal of her birthmark regardless of the risk, or the consequence she might face. In this story, the power of nature prevails in the end. Even though Georgiana is unable to impress her husband with her unique mark, her birthmark captivates almost anyone who looks at it. In the desire to control nature, Aylmer kills his wife. The fate of the world, no matter how dark it is, is in the hands of nature, not science or man. Instead of trying to pursue the ultimate power and trying to change the laws of nature through science, one should pursue happiness in
Aylmer is a man obsessed with science, plain and simple. For some short time when he wasn’t cooped up in his laboratory, he
...ssful! You are perfect' " (55). This perfectly shows that, although science can fix something, it cannot understand that it is repairing.
Religion and science are complementary elements to our society. The notion that religion and science should not be merged together, does not mean neglecting to understand the parallel relation between these two concepts and will result in a better understanding of our surroundings. This will put an end to our scientific research and advancement because we will be relying on answers provided by religious books to answer our questions. If we don’t argue whether these answers are right or wrong, we would never have studied space stars or the universe or even our environment and earthly animals. These studies have always provided us with breakthroughs, inventions and discoveries that made our lives better.
...wever, in the best interest of advancing education and an enlightened society, science must be pursued outside of the realm of faith and religion. There are obvious faith-based and untestable aspects of religion, but to interfere and cross over into everyday affairs of knowledge should not occur in the informational age. This overbearing aspect of the Church’s influence was put in check with the scientific era, and the Scientific Revolution in a sense established the facet of logic in society, which allows us to not only live more efficiently, but intelligently as well. It should not take away from the faith aspect of religion, but serve to enhance it.
While some people may believe that science and religion differ drastically, science and religion both require reason and faith respectively. Religion uses reason as a way of learning and growing in one’s faith. Science, on the other hand, uses reason to provide facts and explain different hypotheses. Both, though, use reason for evidence as a way of gaining more knowledge about the subject. Although science tends to favor more “natural” views of the world, religion and science fundamentally need reason and faith to obtain more knowledge about their various subjects. In looking at science and religion, the similarities and differences in faith and reason can be seen.
When considering the basis for the understanding of both science and religion it is interesting to distinguish that both are based on an overwhelming desire to define a greater knowledge, and comprehension of the universe that surrounds us. Now while, science has based its knowledge of experimental basis, researcher, and scholarly work; religion
While faith alone cannot be said to necessitate truth, it is by no means useless as a basis for knowledge in the areas of knowledge of religion and the natural sciences. Faith allows a knower to make the decision of what is knowledge and what is not, even when the knowledge claim cannot be justified by evidence or empirical reasoning. Yet simultaneously, this quality of faith renders it useless in finding absolute truth. In the natural sciences, faith can be seen as both a necessity, as it is essential for the building of knowledge, and yet also it must be challenged, as the advancement of science is through the disproving of current theories.
There are many myths when talking about science. Myths are usually routined views or stories that help make sense of things. Misunderstandings of science are most likely due to educational programs. The article focuses on ten myths.