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How Might a Monster be a Metaphor for Science or Scientific Advantages?

Introduction

Monsters have long served as a powerful metaphor for scientific progress. Both Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Robert Louis Stevenson's Jekyll and Hyde feature monsters who comment on their respective era's science through narrative devices like Frankenstein or Jekyll and Hyde. Monsters symbolize the dangers of playing God, the value of responsible scientific research, and its unintended repercussions. Contemporary literature and media depict zombies as metaphors for scientific advances, emphasizing their risks and unintended outcomes. This essay will investigate how monsters and zombies are literary representations of scientific progress and comment on their dangers.

How might monsters serve as metaphors for science or scientific advances?

Monsters can serve as powerful metaphors for science or scientific advances by representing their unintended side effects and warning against overambitious or irresponsible research practices. Monsters also represent fears and anxieties regarding unknown outcomes of scientific advancement, therefore, serving as social commentary about science that critiques scientific study ethics and the potential misuse of new technologies (Hogle).  This role is key in creating the right perspectives regarding scientific advances, particularly in today's highly advanced era with increased computing and creative power to design almost everything that uses digital and scientific advancement.

Monsters often symbolize the alienation and marginalization of individuals who do not conform to social expectations, such as physically or mentally disabled individuals, by depicting them as monsters. This imagery highlights their stigmatization in society which, for a long time, many community sectors and stakeholders have continually strived to fight. Today, zombies serve as a similar metaphor when discussing scientific advances: their unintended side effects represent medical experimentation and potential risks of biological research (Waller). This illustrates the misuse of science while emphasizing responsible research practices.

Overall, the monster metaphor is an insightful commentary on the ethical and moral considerations surrounding scientific research. It cautions against misuse of scientific progress, emphasizes responsible research practices, and highlights fears and anxieties surrounding unknown spaces. Authors and media creators can use monsters as metaphors to explore complex issues related to scientific research, such as the ethical implications of genetic engineering or potential threats associated with artificial intelligence. Furthermore, the monster metaphor can serve as an effective means of challenging societal norms and values. By portraying marginalized individuals as monsters, this metaphor brings attention to discrimination and stigmatization that they experience within society - encouraging readers and viewers alike to question assumptions about what is considered "normal" while celebrating diversity as an asset.

I. Frankenstein and the Dangers of Playing God

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein teaches us an object lesson about the perils of playing God. Victor Frankenstein creates his creature out of an ambitious desire to unlock life and death's mysteries without fully considering their potential consequences. This is a stark warning about playing god - Mellor identifies, "The creature is a scientific experiment gone wrong, a being who is both alive and dead, both human and non-human" (Mellor 228). Thus, it highlights the risks of creating something without considering all potential outcomes. Frankenstein's creation of his monster is a cautionary tale that speaks volumes about the anxieties of that period. Scientists were uncovering secrets about nature while creating new technologies which changed everyday life; Frankenstein's creature symbolizes this uncertainty and dangers caused by unchecked scientific advancement.