Frankenstein, Part 2: Crash Course Literature 206 - YouTube (2)
responds to his creature with utter horror. And what is Victor's mature, responsible,
heroic reaction to this situation? He runs away, making all the dads on “Teen Mom”
look amazing by comparison. Thanks Thought Bubble
So, the monster blames this initial abandonment for all the murders that result, right?
And Percy Shelley agreed, writing that while the creature was initially affectionate and
moral “the circumstances of his existence were so monstrous and uncommon, that… his
original goodness was gradually turned into the fuel of an inextinguishable misanthropy
and revenge.” But is the tragedy inherent in the creation
of the monster or is there a way to pursue knowledge without responding in horror?
Frankenstein is more than a little relevant today as we struggle to figure out where technologies
like stem cell therapy, or genetically modified foods, or cloning land on the ethical and
moral scales of the social order. The pursuit of knowledge is good, right, because
that's how I'm even able to talk to you through like the magic of the Internet. That's
why we aren't hunger/gathers anymore. But we don't actually know the outcome yet.
Sometimes we forget that we're still in the middle of history.
I don't think Mary Shelley condemned science outright, or explicitly discourages learning
the secrets of life and nature. Now the experiment definitely fails. The question
is why? Is it because Victor's aims are just unnatural
and evil? Is it because he can't love the creature he's created? Or is it because
he let's his ego run amok dictate his motivations? That's a non-rhetorical question by the
way. I look forward to reading your answers in comments. Thank you for watching. I'll
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