Genetic Engineering In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

There have been technological advancements in the recent years, and the majority of countries in the world has witnessed this. One of the most interesting advancements in the biomedical sector has been the invention of designer babies. Designer babies refer to a wide range of reproductive techniques such as replacing versions of genes linked to certain diseases and enhancing certain attributes in a baby. These adjustments, however, are not ethically right since God’s work is termed to be perfect.

Ever since its publishing, Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein has been the topic of many discussions regarding the pursuit of technological advancement. Many have claimed that the novel aims to warn against the pursuit of such endeavors, as they imply the tampering with matters not meant for human hands. Although Shelley may have in part desired to convey the dangers of taking science “too far”, Frankenstein seems to have more focus on punishing Victor Frankenstein for his failure to fulfill his obligations as the harbinger of such a weighty discovery, one with the potential for both great benefit and great harm. Immediately after Victor Frankenstein witnesses his creation come to life, he becomes overwhelmed with

The book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is arguably one of the most well known books ever written. What many people don't realize is with modern technology humans might not be far from creating artificial life. Through research involving STEM cells and “designer babies” we are near the point of creating parts of the human body. The problem is, seemingly immutable laws have restricted scientists abilities to study STEM cells. The unremitting battle between the two sides is what holds this country back from reaching its full health potential.

As we stand in the world today, we as humans have never been more technologically advanced or scientifically intelligent. We have the ability to explore outer space and the depths of the oceans. We are even in the process of developing organs using 3D printing technology. But there is a limit to the extent of advancements that humankind can reach before some begin to pose dangers to humanity or become unethical. Currently, technology is being developed to expand the procedure of in vitro fertilization to genetically modify embryos. The products of this engineering are commonly known as “designer babies”. This technology, when fully developed, would grant parents the opportunity to select against possibly life threatening or altering conditions such as cystic fibrosis, schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s. Using this technology, parents would also be able to make extensive selections regarding their baby’s gender, physical characteristics, and possibly even personality traits and talents. While it is positive advancement to be able to select against life-threatening diseases, the creation of an a-la-carte baby is unethical and crosses the line between positive sociological developments and immoral manipulations of nature for many reasons.

What if there was a future where having a child was as simple as selecting desirable genes out of a catalogue? A future where technology granted parents the ability to design and perfect their children. The notion of “Designer Babies” seems absurd; however the rapid development of technology and the potential of gene manipulation could make this a startling reality.

Although this in itself arises another question who are the individuals that part take the decision of what is humane and what isn’t. This then arises the question of the morality of the doctors that in the future will partake in the creation of our children to not only be healthy but also as possibly eradicate several diseases. With cases such as the ones in Philadelphia committed by doctor Kermit Gosnell can serve us to question to think if we can trust doctors to not only keep us safe but make the desicion that ultimately benefit us and not their bank accounts. Consequently, this is one of the ethical issues with regards to designer babies because not only are we trusting one person to safely create our children and see them as humans and not a mass production that gives high earning objects.

Over two centuries ago, Mary Shelley created a gruesome tale of the horrific ramifications that result when man over steps his bounds and manipulates nature. In her classic tale, Frankenstein, Shelley weaves together the terrifying implications of a young scientist playing God and creating life, only to be haunted for the duration of his life by the monster of his own sordid creation. Reading Shelley in the context of present technologically advanced times, her tale of monstrous creation provides a very gruesome caution. For today, it is not merely a human being the sciences are lusting blindly to bring to life, as was the deranged quest of Victor Frankenstein, but rather to

Human progression is a key motive in the field of science and technology. New techniques and designs are made to improve the general welfare and life span of human beings. However, development requires risks and those risks may have deadly effects on future generations. One such debate is over genetic engineering and creating “Designer Babies”. The ability to alter any trait an offspring may possess.

“A certain person’s religious, economic, political, and scientific viewpoint of a situation significantly influences what his or her moral beliefs about designer babies are. Those who are highly influenced by religious teachings find the technology used by designer babies to be humans attempting to “play god”, while from an economic standpoint the inequality that would develop between the rich and poor from the expenses of using the CRISPR-cas9 system is inevitably unethical. Yet, from ethical beliefs that are developed from a political perspective, the opinion was split. Those from a conservative standpoint saw designer babies as immoral when considering the traditional rights a child has, but those from a liberal viewpoint brought into the

This following essay will discuss about how the advantages of designer babies potentially act as the enhancer that emerge the harms in the society. It is just because of this advanced benefits that introduced the disadvantages of designer babies. It is likely that there will be both moral and safety objections as there has been for in vitro fertilization, stem cell science and early gene therapy. The moral objections range from concerns about the manipulation of the germline to worries about the patenting or commercialization of the technology itself. The safety concerns, much like we saw with early recombinant DNA research include both potential dangers to the offspring of patients treated and to the

Science is now able to better improve human health and safety thanks to the advanced modern technology and medicine that are available. Yet with today's technology being implemented into science comes the questions of human morality, or bioethics. One of the bioethics debates is on the coined term “Designer babies”; on if or where society should draw the line on genetically altering our children before they are born. With the technology able to stop hereditary diseases, the scientific development’s are able to change the child’s “eye color, hair color, social intelligence, right down to whether or not your child would have a widow’s peak” before the child is born. From the options on choosing whether or not your child will look or act a certain

Modern science has dramatically evolved over the past years, there is a concern on whether or not people will try to play God with such developments and what damaging consequences could occur. Body modifications, cloning, Genetic engineering, and various fields in biotechnology are prime examples of fields that are attaining great advancements in a swift manner that increase concerns over the consequences. Progress in science induces people to question what it means to be a human and their own human nature, just as it causes people to question the effects that scientific progress may have on their good fortune, happiness or common welfare.The protagonist of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein is incited to advance the field of

Should parent be allowed to genetically engineer their children? : The ethical dilemma of designer babies.

How does it sound to walk into the doctor’s office, choose what attributes you want your baby to have, and then having that exact baby 9 months later? Although this may seem quite harmless to most, the negative effects of designer babies are tremendous: the lack of diversity in our population, violation of a specific set of laws designed to protect humans, going against Christian views, and even destroying the roots of human nature. With genetic engineering biotechnology, such as Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (or CRISPR), new and unique altercations are being done to revolutionize many aspects of our lives. Along with astounding benefits that can come from these biotechnologies, many people have come up with crazy ideas, such as these designer baby ideas, that could be potentially harmful to our society.

In her novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley is trying to convey the message that science and technology can be dangerous in the wrong hands. She affirms this idea through the character of Victor, a cautionary tale, but dispels the idea that all pursuit of knowledge is bad through more traditionally romantic characters such as Henry Clerval. Shelley is complicit in her understanding that curiosity and experimentation are unbreakably tied to the human condition, and tries to warn the world of the evil that can come from this. However, the effects of the interpretation of this book can vary: it is an exemplary cautionary tale, and a much needed reminder of ethics in an increasingly technology-dependent world, but one could easily take these warnings too far and use her novel as a means to quell innovation or incite censorship. In a world of technology that would be unbelievable to Shelley, her work still remains relevant, notably in the field of genetic engineering. Frankenstein raises important questions about ethics, responsibility and censorship, and is applicable to modern technological issues such as genetic engineering.