When Mary Shelly's Frankenstein was first published, people grew concerned about its non-fictitious potential, especially with the then new found ideas of galvanism, but Shelly's dream seems today's budding nightmare with the advancement of cloning. Very little has changed since then, and as opposed to solving problems and concerns that have existed for 200 or more years, we seem to have a fantastic ability to agitate them, moving from potential to probability. Technology is, and always has been, both a blessing and a curse; a curse often times because it far outpaces our social advancement, much like that of a toddler finding a world of trouble in the otherwise helpful items below the kitchen sink. Shelly's novel wrestles with many conflicts we find all to relevant today, discussing man's attempt at playing God, the questionable goals of science and potential for disaster, and the social tendencies of human nature to judge and ostracize.
Whether through curiosity or the ambition of infallible supremacy, Man has toyed with the idea of playing God through out history, and it could be argued that the ability to create is the only thing keeping humanity from reaching a god-like status. Victor Frankenstein's character epitomizes this aspect, attempting to harness nature,Whence, I often asked myself, did the principle of life proceed?? Galvanism has since given way to cloning and while mode and method have changed, the goal remains the same. We see Frankenstein's contemporary counterparts now in groups like the Raelians and Clonaid, and are faced with the same ethical questions, and even potential for destruction through creation. Clonaid is a group attempting to reach the same ends as that of Dr Frankenstein, ridding the world of death, which in and of it self would appear to be a desirable and even justifiable cause, but as many know, the road to hell is paved with good intentions, which leads us to question the progression of science.
