Frankenstein: Will humanity eventually be eaten back by technology?
Would it be acceptable for you to spend time with a "created man"?
Would you like to be "gene edited"?
Will humanity be eaten back by technology?
At the end of 2018, the "mad scientist" He Jiankui used gene editing technology to modify human embryos and allow two babies to be born, which shocked many people. With he Jiankui sentenced, although gene-edited babies have become history, the discussion of the double-edged sword of science has far from stopped.
In fact, as early as two hundred years ago, the 19-year-old writer Mary Shelley created the world's first science fiction novel, "Frankenstein", which explored the development of technology and the responsibility of people.
Scientist Frankenstein is committed to exploring the mysteries of nature, and after years of intensive research, he finally discovered the secret of creating life. He stole the limbs of the dead bodies from the hiding room and assembled them into an eight-foot-tall human body. However, after the monster was given life, it became extremely ugly, and Frankenstein was frightened and fled.
Abandoned by Frankenstein, the monster had to live in the forest and suffer from hunger and cold. In order to find food, he boldly entered a village, and the villagers were frightened by his strange appearance, some fled into the wilderness, some hit him with stones, and he had no choice but to hide in the home of a blind old man. The monster secretly observes the life of the family from the cracks in the wall every day, and gradually, he not only learns the human language, but also understands the love and care between people.
At first, the monster was kind, he often helped the old man's family collect firewood, secretly did good deeds, and once rescued a girl who fell into the water. But his actions were not sympathized with and accepted, on the contrary, he was always rewarded with indifference, contempt and abandonment, and he felt deeply lonely. So he approached Frankenstein and begged him to create a heterosexual companion for the rest of his life, promising that they would stay away from humans and settle down in the wilderness of South America.
Frankenstein agreed at first, but at the moment when he was about to finish, he suddenly hesitated: if they really fell in love and multiplied, it would definitely bring disaster to mankind. So he destroyed the female monster categorically. The monsters behind this scene are thunderous and utterly desperate for human society and their own future. So he killed Frankenstein's friend and bride. In order to get revenge, Frankenstein chases the monster all the way to the North Pole, and finally dies on the way, and the monster also burns himself in remorse and despair.
Frankenstein explores how humanity is confronted with technological progress. We've developed technology and created a lot of technological products, but those products are also reconfiguring our lives. We let technology evolve and listen to the arrangements of technology. As a result, we suddenly find that technology is moving towards autonomy and evil, and we have become its puppets and accomplices.
However, the reason why technology is out of control is not because of the autonomy and evil of technology itself, but because we ignore the understanding and responsibility of technology. As Frankenstein tells us, the monster ends up in evil because the creator neglects his understanding and responsibility.
To this day, the story of Frankenstein still has a powerful wake-up call. Whether it is the innovation of internet technology, or the development of genes and life sciences, if you are not careful, human beings may eat their own consequences and eventually cause their own destruction.