Frankenscience: Questionable Science Research Paper Mary Shelley introduced the concept of questionable science in her story Frankenstein. In the novel, Victor Frankenstein dives into his curiosity by creating a monster out of cadavers. This careless action causes a lot of conflict throughout the story and becomes the peripeteia of Victor’s life and he wishes he had never created his monster in the first place. Scientific advancements have grown immensely over hundreds of years, but sometimes in becoming pioneers of discovery, we go against nature itself. While there are many benefits to discovering new ideas and methods, there can also be unknown consequences if things go completely wrong. While knowledge is power, some scientific fields should …show more content…
An attempt was made to clone the bucardo after the last one of its species was killed by a fallen tree. Scientists were able to clone a baby bucardo, but it only survived for a few minutes due to defects in the lungs. Although cloning is not the most successful method of reproduction, it could also drastically change agriculture. Scientists have considered how cloning things such as cattle could be beneficial to the farming industry, but there is a low success rate in cloning a herd. It also brings up the discussion of whether cloned cattle would even be safe for consumption, which is a whole other area of science by itself. Bringing back extinct animals and changing things in agriculture will certainly make an imprint on history, but it is unknown if that imprint will be beneficial. The main controversy of cloning is the cloning of humans and how the methods of research would be done. Humans can clone naturally when an egg splits, resulting in identical twins, but could that be recreated in a lab? Cloning can also have very negative results that could harm more than …show more content…
To successfully clone a human being, a lot of eggs would be needed and there is concern that it could lead to human exploitation. “it is important.that women and couples not be exploited for the purpose of obtaining their embryos or eggs”(Rugnetta). This is one of the few reasons that cloning is a questionable thing in science, the technology could easily be abused, especially in the creation of other human beings. While in natural reproduction there can be deformities and diseases, cloning can only make it worse if clones aren’t produced correctly. The methods of cloning are comparable to the natural asexual cloning that occurs with some species and identical twins, but it is not the same. Cloning could be useful in many ways, but it's the practice that makes it a questionable method of science, especially with how often the clones do not survive for very long. In conclusion, cloning is a questionable method of science, much like what Frankenstein’s monster was. Cloning is a method of science some believe should be left
Science fiction writing began in the early 1800’s as a reaction to the growth in science and technology. The genre is characterized by its intellectual excitement, high adventure, and its making of the fantastic possible. Due to the nature of science fiction, film has become an essential piece to its popularity. Science fiction films have been popular since the earliest silent clips because of the outlandish visuals and creative fictional story lines that capture an audience’s attention. Under the guise of this popular platform writers relay political, social and philosophical messages to their audience. The popular 1931 version of Frankenstein, based on Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, depicts an anti-exploration and anti-intellectual philosophy. In Frankenstein there is criticisms for the immoral behavior that is involved with progresses, the natural tendency for humanity to attempt to be greater than God and the pursuit of knowledge.
When the novel “Frankenstein”, by Mary Shelley came out in 1831 the general public was introduced to the idea of man creating another man scientifically; without the use of reproduction. This idea is still very interesting today, however many ethical problems are implicated when scientists, like Victor Frankenstein, disrupt the moral and ethical standards like many modern day scientists have done today with cloning. The astronomical effects that followed after the creation of The Monster, demonstrates the horrid fact that creating a human was not natural or ethical.
successful clones often have problems with their body and are subject to a short lifespan ridden with health problems. This hurts the person or animal cloned rather than to help them, making cloning an immoral
Throughout Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, nature is a major theme that flows and effects the world she creates. Shelley utilizes this in order to influence the characters within her story. Everyone within this book is subject to the forces of nature. It holds the strength to manipulate their thoughts and emotions in both a negative and positive manner. This theme embraces the idea of romanticism which becomes an unrestrained emotional experience for the characters.
Mary Shelley’s Sci-Fi horror known as Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus has become a classic novel in history. This dark tale touches on every subject of humanity. One of Shelley’s biggest themes is a big question in the science world we live in, nearly 200 years after publication of the book. That question being can science go too far, is there a line that shouldn’t be crossed? Shelley uses the plot of her story to serve as a warning to readers to be careful when dealing with this imaginary line. Shelley’s tale of a mad scientist and the repercussions he suffers from his experiment is a timeless story. As technology is being pushed to the brink of morality in the modern day, this question has become a huge part of the modern world of science we are living in.
In order to strongly argue against cloning, there must be an understanding of its process and what exactly it is. Simply stated, a clone is a duplicate just like a photocopy. A good example of such “copies” that occur are identical twins, which are duplicates of each other. “The first step of DNA cloning is to isolate a complete gene and is to chromosomal sequences and then to gradually begin flaking the chromosomal sequences of a single DAN molecule. Then the DNA clone can be electronically labeled and used as a probe to isolate the chromosomal sequences from a collection of different types of genes, which should contain cloned sequences that would represent the whole gene. This action will produce new sets of cloned cells identical to the mother cell. The new set of cells are isolated and likewise the simplified process is repeated all over again until the cells form a complete organ. In order to produce a complete organism the DNA must be altered in a variety of way to come out with the finished product to be the complete organism.” In simple terms, a cell is taken from a donor woman. Then an unfertilized egg is taken from a second woman. The DNA from the cell is removed and transferred to the egg. The egg is then implanted into a surrogate mother. The resulting baby is genetically identical to the original donor.
Self-righteousness and entitlement is a common theme among each individual in modern society. When people begin to believe that they are superior and hold more entitlement than their surrounding peers, those people tend to get themselves into trouble socially and culturally. In Flannery O’Connor’s short story Greenleaf, the main character Mrs. May has an issue of not being able to see the grace present in those she does not consider her social equals. Flannery O’Connor, known to be one of the best short story authors of all time, is widely known by the literary community to write about southern culture. Also, according to her biography on www.biography.com, there is one common theme among her writings: “if there is a common humanistic moral in O'Connor's stories, it is that those who think too well of themselves generally get their just desserts in the end.” With a clash between religious beliefs and Mrs. May’s own self-righteousness and entitlement, the theme of faith, grace, and control end up turning the tables on Mrs. May
Torn. Desperate. I am a snob. Accused. All of these words describe Victor Frankenstein, as a result of his creation's evil actions, where he was blamed for the actions taken by this fowl creature.
When Victor Frankenstein deserted his creation in Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein”, he deprived it of basic human needs, hindering its ability to develop normally and causing the creature to develop into a monster. The case for the creature being a monster is quite compelling. He murders young William Frankenstein with his bare hands and subsequently, frames Justine Moritz for the crime. To further avenge Victor, the creatures murders Henry Clerval, and fulfills his promise of being "'with Victor on his wedding night'" by killing his significant other, Elizabeth. At first glance, it would appear that this beast truly is unparalleled in "deformity and wickedness"; Though after closer examination, one can determine that the creature’s monstrous
A wise individual once stated, “Change is the principal feature of our age and literature should explore how people deal with it. The best Science Fiction does that, head-on.” Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein, portrayed Science Fiction by utilizing the three characteristics needed in every Science Fiction novel. That being said, Shelley created Frankenstein based on plausible scientific principles and technology, predictions about life in the future, and important issues in society. However, because she does not show these characteristics clearly, her work may not follow the genre’s guidelines entirely.
Connor Lehmann Mrs.Heckman Literature 6 May, 23, 2024. Who is the Real Monster in “Frankenstein”? “Frankenstein” is a play adapted by Philip Pullman from the novel by Mary Shelley. “Frankenstein” is a play in which a scientist named Victor Frankenstein creates a monster that he thinks would be better than humans, but his creation turns out to be hideous. Frankenstein abandons his creation and the Monster runs unsupervised around the country.
Many people consider Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" to be a remarkable gothic work because of its dark topics, gloomy atmosphere, and supernatural aspects. Frankenstein was written in the early 19th century, and perfectly captures the spirit of the Gothic genre with its depiction of the macabre, the enigmatic, and the monstrous. The somber themes of "Frankenstein," which center on morality, loneliness, and unending ambition, are among its most significant elements. Victor Frankenstein’s ceaseless ambition results in the birth of a grotesque creature, trapped inside its own ugly body, constantly wondering why it was born and why it should suffer due to its birth. The Modern Day Prometheus tries his best to play God and ends up creating an inquisitive creature with a good heart, shoved into a
Last of all, Cloning is not ethical, many religious groups look down upon cloning and think it’s not proper because they think it’s like playing God. Many scientists were mainly thinking about cloning animals and, most likely, humans in the future to harvest their organs and then kill them. “Who would actually like to be harvested and killed for their organs?” “Human cloning exploits human beings for our own self-gratification (Dodson, 2003).” A person paying enough money could get a corrupt scientist to clone anybody they wanted, like movie stars, music stars, athletes, etc (Andrea Castro 2005),” whether it be our desire for new medical treatments or our desire to have children on our own genetic terms (Dodson, 2003).
John A. Robertson’s article “Human Cloning and the Challenge of Regulation” raises three important reasons on why there shouldn’t be a ban on Human Cloning but that it should be regulated. Couples who are infertile might choose to clone one of the partners instead of using sperm, eggs, or embryo’s from anonymous donors. In conventional in vitro fertilization, doctors attempt to start with many ova, fertilize each with sperm and implant all of them in the woman's womb in the hope that one will result in pregnancy. (Robertson) But some women can only supply a single egg. Through the use of embryo cloning, that egg might be divisible into, say 8 zygotes for implanting. The chance of those women becoming pregnant would be much greater. (Kassirer) Secondly, it would benefit a couple at high risk of having offspring with a genetic disease choose weather to risk the birth of an affected child. (Robertson) Parents who are known to be at risk of passing a genetic defect to a child could make use of cloning. A fertilized ovum could be cloned, and the duplicate tested for the disease or disorder. If the clone were free of genetic defects, then the other clone would be as well. Then this could be implanted in the woman and allowed to mature to term. (Heyd) Thirdly, it would be used to obtain tissue or organs...
Human cloning is dangerous. It is estimated that between 95 and 98 percent of cloning experiments have failed (Genetics and Society). These downfalls to cloning are in the form of miscarriages and stillbirths (Genetics and Society). Cloned human beings also run the risk of having severe genetic abnormalities. Children cloned from adult DNA would, in a sense, already have “old” genes. These children’s main problem would be developing and growing old too quickly. This includes arthritis, appearance, and organ function. Since the chance of having a child with mental and physical problems is so much higher than that of a normally conceived child, cloning should be illegal.