With Great Knowledge Comes Great Responsibility: Frankenstein

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Recommended: Desire for knowledge in Frankenstein

Plato once said, “Human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge.” Some believe that the desire for knowledge and the emotions that arise from it can be dangerous. This assumption is incorrect because possessing vast amounts of knowledge causes many positive impacts everywhere. Knowledge is not dangerous because it causes advancements in the lives of others which leads to a more harmonious society.
Too much knowledge is not dangerous because, when given to the right individuals, it can save lives. Telling the truth can be seen as frightening, but informing others of the knowledge one possesses is paramount. This can be seen in the deaths of William and Justine on which Victor reflects, “Did any one indeed exist, except I, the creator, who would believe, unless his senses convinced him, in the existence of the living monument of presumption and rash ignorance which I had let loose upon the world?” (Shelley 65).
“Victor Frankenstein doesn’t value life in the absolute. Instead, he places a higher worth on his reputation” *(Lunsford 174).This proves to be a dangerous and careless move, as it causes the deaths of four friends and family members of his. If he had told others about the monster, they could have taken precautionary measures against the creation. A real world application of this theory can be found in the searches for criminals. Individuals don’t always tell the police everything they know about a suspect, causing the police to use extremely arduous means to find the culprit. If someone had informed the police in the beginning of suspected foul play, damage might not have been done. Too much knowledge is never dangerous because when the whole truth is told, it can help save* lives
Self-prese...

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...December 2010: 223-26. Galileo. Web. 29 Oct. 2013. .
Lunsford, Lars. “The Devaluing of Life in Shelley’s Frankenstein.” Explicator 68.3 (2010): 174-76. Galileo. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. .
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. Clayton: Prestwick House, 2005. Print.
Vargish, Thomas. “Technology and Impotence in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.” War, Literature & the Arts: An International Journal of the Humanities 21.1/2 (2009): 322-37. Galileo. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. .

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