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"Ever
heard of the Human Genome Project?" I was asked a month ago
over lunch, "No." I answered, but waited patiently, knowing the
explanation was soon to come. I was very quickly appalled by the
prospects of such a project. The very idea of humanity seeking
to create life by our own hands goes against the nature of creation.
There may be benefits to such a discovery, this I know, but what
good scientist would stop at the good aspects of a discovery without
exploring what might happen if....? Scientists are seeking to
uncover the deepest secrets of our selves and our world, trying
to see what we can do, so frantically that I doubt if even one
person has paused long enough to really ask themselves seriously
whether or not we should.
In her novel,
Frankenstein, also called The Modern Prometheus, Mary
Shelley deals with taking science too far, the limitations of exploration
and discovery. The Post-Modern Prometheus is not a creature created
using electric pulses and random acts of hideous science as was
Victor Frankenstein's creation. The post-modern Prometheus will,
I believe, be the result of cloning. In Mary Shelley's Frankensteinwritten
in the early 1800's, we learn about the complexity of human life
and the dreadful circumstances that could occur if human kind should
attempt to take on the role of God. Humanity should never attempt
to 'play' God with any expectation but that of chaos. We were not
meant to be the creators of life.
In today's
world in which cloning and bio-genetics are becoming more and more
advanced, the feverish pace at which scientists are seeking to unlock
the secrets of the universe, to map out the human gene, is terrifying.
What is it that fuels our innate curiosity to discover secrets to
the universe? Can we not accept that there are certain secrets that
are not meant to be known? Human kind is headed in a direction which
can lead to nothing but ruin. Mary Shelley illustrates the incredibly
negative effects of blindly walking the path of discovery. It is
in human nature to explore our world and seek answers to the bigger
questions in life but we must know that eventually we must stop
looking and accept certain things as simply beyond our comprehension.
Frankenstein, like many scientists today, did not know when to stop.
Frankenstein
was so consumed by his desire to create a life that he did not even
begin to think about what the consequences might be. He never once
considered what could happen when the life was fully created and
awakened. Instead of being overjoyed with his creation, as is the
case in the birth of a child (made by God), Frankenstein was disgusted
by his creation (made by a man) and even afraid of it!
The fear and
abhorrence Frankenstein had toward his own creation is due cause
for the today's society to be concerned. Progress is not always
beneficial. The possible outcomes of the currently underway Human
Genome project (a privately funded project working to create a complete
map of the human genome) is just as frightening as the Frankenstein
creation, if not even more frightening. The project is designed
with the hope of finding ways to better understand human life and
improve its quality. Mary Shelley's novel warns us that the consequences
of tampering with the forces of life can be brutal.
With the dawn
of the 21st century, many glorious prospects await in the scientific
fields. Perhaps we will journey to a new planet and find extraterrestrial
life. Perhaps we will find a cure for cancer, or AIDS. The possibilities
are as endless as the Universe itself. We must remember however,
as the story of Frankensteinshows, that the act of creating
a life is, and should remain, in the hands of God. Science can take
us too far. We must remember Frankenstein's reaction to the result
of his tireless research: Horror and Disgust.
An attempt
on our behalf to create and test the waters of creation will lead
only to destruction. Some believe that the ability to fully comprehend
the human genome will help to eliminate disease and suffering, but
the problem with that theory is that the information is only helpful
if it remains in the right hands. If, as will most likely be the
case, the information falls into the wrong hands the outcome would
be unthinkable. Mary Shelley's Frankensteingives a haunting
and memorable account of the possible outcomes associated with human
kind's obsession with reaching a god-like status. The outcome, implies
Shelley, cannot lead to anything but chaos. Humanity was simply
not meant to harness the power that is involved in creating life.
However, with the dawn of the 21st century tinting our windows and
our eyes, I cannot help but fear the worst. Humanity will continue
to seek out the unsought and unfound. But at what cost?
Copyright
© 2000 Kimberley May Maurice All Rights Reserved
Kimberley May
Maurice is a native of British Columbia and is currently studying
Communications at Trinity Western University. She is an aspiring
poet and writer with a desire to make people think.
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