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  • Essay / Frankenstein: the ability to choose to remain ethical

    In Mary Shelley's classic horror story Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein is an ambitious scientist fascinated by the creation of life. In his studies, he discovered “the secret of life”. Dr. Frankenstein makes a scientific breakthrough by creating the monster, but at what cost? He conducts this horrible experiment in secret, without consulting others and without considering the possible consequences. Frankenstein creates the monster to feed his insatiable desire to rebuild his life. Consequently, his creation goes on a vengeful killing spree over the next few years. Although Frankenstein is a work of fiction, it raises very real and crucial questions about ethical responsibility in scientific studies. Harmful scientific experiments cannot be justified in the name of new knowledge and discoveries; ethics and morality must be paramount in the decisions made by scientists. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get the original essay Although Frankenstein is imbued with the exhilaration of seemingly limitless human creativity, it also prompts serious reflection on our responsibility individual and collective to assume responsibility for the products of our creativity and imposing constraints on our abilities to modify the natural world around us. The main example of unethical action is that of Victor Frankenstein. His constant refusal to take responsibility torments both his life and that of those around him after constructing and then animating his creature. Victor is in an incessant flow of negative emotions. He transforms his creation into a monster physically and mentally. It is only after his constant rejection of the monster that creation begins and continues to wreak havoc and destruction around Victor's close circle of loved ones. The initial moment of life is the pivotal moment where Victor has the power to transform his creation into an angel or a demon. Victor allows the “horror and disgust” that filled his heart to control his actions. Rather than taking responsibility for the life he has just given, Victor despises the monster and it is this unscrupulous act that highlights the monster's disastrous actions. Science is, by its very nature, an exploration of new frontiers, a means of discovering and testing new ideas, and an impetus for paradigm shifts. Science is synonymous with progress and advances in the knowledge and understanding of our world and ourselves. Although a fundamental principle of science is to question, there is an underlying belief, rooted in words like “advances” and “progress,” that science will improve our lives. Safeguards, protocols and institutional approvals by trained committees of horrific and numerous examples of unethical experiments carried out in the name of science are used to prevent a lone wolf, Victor Frankenstein, from undertaking his experiments in the attics. It is impossible to predict all the consequences of our current and future scientific and technological advances. Frankenstein is not only the first creation story to use scientific experimentation as a method, but it also presents a framework for narratively examining the morality and ethics of the experimenter and experimenter. The creature cannot repair its deformity and thus clearly shows the anger of others. . Shelley expresses the monster's state of mind by revealing his inner thoughts, for example when he says: "Finding myself unsympathetic, I wished to uproot the trees, sow chaos and destruction.destruction… I declared an eternal war against the species and, above all, against the one who had formed me and sent me into this unbearable misery.” By declaring "eternal war against the species", Shelley confirms that the creature has no connection with humans due to the feared rejection of the differences between it and other species. Shelley's interpretation of human nature is one of the complexities of social and personal interaction, and the appearance of inscrutable crime and awareness of monstrosity as seen by its transgressors. Perhaps the differences between morality and science could be defined in parallel stories within the novel, one attempting to discover the secret of life and death, and the other attempting to reveal the secrets of anomalies. We notice that Victor Frankenstein is fascinated by the science of the physical world, so he embarks on an experiment that changes his life forever. In a way, we can notice that Victor Frankenstein is trying to play God. He wants to discover the unknown and clarify the mysteries of creation; the mysteries behind life and death. Shelley gives the monster a personality that has many dimensions and he carries both unfavorable and favorable qualities. Its negative qualities only appear after being repeatedly abandoned and neglected. This suggests that it is not Victor's animation of the patchwork body that is necessarily the cause of such harm, but rather Victor's careless and cruel behavior towards his creation that causes the damage. Shelley shifts the focus away from common arguments about morality and the issue of "not playing God" and chooses to shift the focus onto the ethical issues of the individual. Victor becomes “the wretch – the miserable monster he created”; it refers to the monster, but it could also be talking about itself. Not only does Victor shirk his responsibilities, but he also allows others to take responsibility for his dangerous choices. This lack of ethics leads to the deaths of those close to him, deaths that he probably could have avoided if he had respected his responsibility. One of the most egregious examples of the harm caused by the embodiment of passive ethics is that of the accusation, trial and execution of Justine Moritz. It is Victor's refusal to admit his unethical behavior that allows innocent Justine to be killed for a horrible crime, a crime for which Victor is rightly responsible. Victor believes himself to be “miserable” and he feels so sorry for himself that he distances himself from all ethical propriety. It could be argued that Victor is at the peak of his ethical progress when he abandons everything to adopt the largely unethical action of revenge. It is only after finally revealing his secret to someone that he admits that his “rage is indescribable when I reflect that the murderer I released into society still exists.” Victor now puts the safety and well-being of others before himself. He swears to “dedicate himself, in his life or in his death, to the destruction of the monster”. Victor finally learned from his arrogance, his pride, his obsession and his blindness. Victor imitates his father when he gives sound advice to Walton. He told him to “learn from my miseries and not try to increase yours”. Yet Victor still hasn't learned from his mistakes. When the ship's situation becomes increasingly dire and the crew wishes to return to England if the ice breaks, Victor accuses them of cowardice and shames them for not having "enough strength to endure the cold and the danger.” Yet Walton, with his stronger ethics, realizes that he must put an end to his incessant desire for discovery which endangers the lives of his crew. He.