Theme in Frankenstein 1931 Movie
The movie presents a technology theme and the disasters that technology can create. A scientist, Dr. Henry, obsessed with science creates an artificial life through the help of science ("Frankenstein (1931)", 2018). Though the doctor views this as one of the major scientific achievements in history, his creation turns to be a disaster. Dr. Henry is seen to be madly obsessed with science ("Frankenstein (1931)", 2018). The crazy obsession led to him pursuing the creation of an artificial life despite the fears expressed by some of his colleagues ("Frankenstein (1931)", 2018). His experimental artificial living creation turns to be a terrorizing creature with no emotions. After being mistreated by Dr. Henry’s assistant and the society at large, the creation turns into a monster and starts terrorizing the Bavarian countryside ("Frankenstein (1931)", 2018). This shows how science and technology can lead to catastrophic occurrences in the absence of sufficient control and ethical practices.
Themes in Jurassic Park Movie
The movie presents a case of man versus nature. It demonstrates how nature overcomes man’s activities regardless of the kind of technology used (Englehart, Truog, Fricke & Crichton, 2014). According to science, dinosaurs went extinct as a result of failing to survive the changing natural conditions. However, with the help of genetic technology, the scientists attempt to overturn natural occurrences to bring dinosaurs back to life (Englehart, Truog, Fricke & Crichton, 2014). Having been eliminated by nature, bringing dinosaurs back to life posed a threat to the ordinary existence of life since the dinosaurs had not adapted to the changing natural occurrences (Englehart, Truog, Fricke & Crichton, 2014). Nature always has a way of fighting back, and we see the dinosaurs held in the park breaking out and creating havoc in the city. According to the movie, nature couldn’t support the existence of the dinosaurs and an attempt to bring back extinct organisms will create an imbalance which will have a dangerous impact on the world.
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Another presentation of nature's superiority in the movie is seen when the scientists choose only to clone female dinosaurs to avoid procreation and subsequent reproduction (Englehart, Truog, Fricke & Crichton, 2014). This was an attempt to go against the natural occurrences of reproduction. However, as the dinosaurs continue living in the park, nature finds a way to cause reproduction in these animals which is against the initial intention of the scientists (Englehart, Truog, Fricke & Crichton, 2014). This is a demonstration of nature fighting back against human creations and a subsequent loss for man. It is widely known that all living things reproduce, and an attempt to prevent that will always cause an imbalance that nature will still to pursue to remove (Englehart, Truog, Fricke & Crichton, 2014). As the dinosaurs reproduce, there arises a conflict of interest between man’s intentions and natural occurrence.
Beyond the man versus nature theme, the movie presents the theme of technology. It demonstrates how technology can be used to create new possibilities that are not naturally occurring (Englehart, Truog, Fricke & Crichton, 2014). With proper precautions, technology is presented as a solution to meeting some of the demands of the changing times. According to Dr. Malcolm, dinosaurs have not been in existence for 65 million years (Englehart, Truog, Fricke & Crichton, 2014). However, with technology, the scientists were able to bring them back to life with through genetic engineering. If sufficient caution was taken, there was a probability of giving the dinosaurs another chance to live despite having gone extinct centuries ago.
Ian Malcolm’s Comment’s
The movie, Jurassic Park, is based on Michael Crichton’s fiction novel Jurassic Park (Englehart, Truog, Fricke & Crichton, 2014). The film presents a situation where dinosaurs are brought back to existence with the help of genetic engineering. Malcolm’s comments are a presentation of the possible chaos that the park will create by bringing dinosaurs back to life. There is a 65 million year difference between the time that dinosaurs went extinct and the time that the company embarks on a genetic adventure of bringing them back to life (Englehart, Truog, Fricke & Crichton, 2014). The reason behind bringing the dinosaur species back to life is to create a unique amusement park, the only one with dinosaurs in them. This will lead to increased revenues for the billionaire.
The movie presents a conflict between technology and nature. Engineers, geneticists, lawyers, biologists, financiers and designers including Dr. Ian Malcolm come together to assess the viability of the technological advancement that could recreate dinosaurs (Englehart, Truog, Fricke & Crichton, 2014). They asses the implications that the genetically engineered dinosaurs in the modern world, which they have not lived in for the last 65 million years (Englehart, Truog, Fricke & Crichton, 2014). In the movie, we find a discussion regarding nature and adaptation. It is as a result of changes in nature and natural dynamics that led to the extinction of dinosaurs. As such, it is not clear whether the genetically modified dinosaurs will be able to adapt well in the current world.
Ian Malcolm’s comments, “Genetic Power is the most awesome force the world has ever seen, but you wield it like a kid that's found his dad's gun. ...[Y]our scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn't stop to think if they should” are driven towards how the genetic engineering company scientists want to build on genetic modification knowledge and technology to recreate a dinosaur without considering the dangers of this technology. Ian is a chaos theory scientist and finds the venture to reinvent dinosaurs as reckless use of technology which poses a significant threat to the existence of life and natural order on earth. Ian’s sentiments are later manifested when the dinosaurs escape the park and cause massive havoc and loss of lives in the city (Englehart, Truog, Fricke & Crichton, 2014).
As genetic technology develops in our society, what safeguards are in place to regulate the process?
Genetic modification, genetic engineering, and genetic cloning have gained popularity in the world of biology and technology over the past four decades (Rout & Peter, 2018). Cloning refers to the processes used to produce genetically identical organisms, with identical genetic makeup as the original (Rout & Peter, 2018). The product of a cloning process is referred to as a clone (Rout & Peter, 2018). Significant steps have been achieved in genetic cloning, where some animals have been genetically developed such as Dolly, the first cloned sheep in 1997, and Copycat, the first cloned pet in the year 2001. Scientists have continued to do research on different possibilities of genetic cloning including genetic disease and testing, plant and animal harming, genetic modified animals and plants, among others (Oversight and Review of Clinical Gene Transfer Protocols, 2014).
Gene cloning has been seen to have been seen to have a positive impact on combating some challenges such as disease control and development of new crops and livestock to fit the changing environmental changes (Rout & Peter, 2018). These developments have been welcomed profoundly by different governmental and non-governmental organizations as they help to address the challenges being faced in the 21st Century (Oversight and Review of Clinical Gene Transfer Protocols, 2014). However, concerns have been regarding observing ethics and also the repercussions of genetic engineering by both government and non-governmental organizations (Oversight and Review of Clinical Gene Transfer Protocols, 2014). As a result, governments and other non-governmental organizations settled on some safeguards to avoid creating more challenges from genetic engineering. In the USA, some of the safeguards put in place include:
• Genetically modified food should follow a protocol or delivery methodology that represents a first-in-human experience (Oversight and Review of Clinical Gene Transfer Protocols, 2014).
• Development of genetically modified food should follow a preclinical approve safety formula (Oversight and Review of Clinical Gene Transfer Protocols, 2014).
• The protocol used should be simple to allow evaluation by the relevant regulatory authorities before approval (Oversight and Review of Clinical Gene Transfer Protocols, 2014).
• Requirements to ensure the genetic engineering process follow the guidelines of science and technology including professional standards and norms and observe the human rights (Gene Drives on the Horizon, 2016).
Are the Safeguards Sufficient?
The safeguards presented above guide the scientists engaging in genetic engineering. These safeguards ensure that the creations of genetic engineering do not go against the norms, or harm the normal existence of life on the planet. However, these safeguards are not wholly sufficient. There exists a possibility of developing new technology considered to have high benefits in the short-term but ends up causing more harm in long-run. For example, in the case of Jurassic Park, the dinosaurs were meant to create a form of attraction and give people an opportunity to experience animals that went extinct 65 million years before. The animals created were all female, but the technology used enabled the animals to change their sex, thus allowing procreation which wasn’t part of the plan. This led to an increase in the number of dinosaurs in the park, and left broke the barriers and caused massive loss of life and destruction of property in the city. Thus, more safeguards detailing how to deal with possible unexpected occurrences are addressed as soon as possible to avoid uncontrollable disruption of normal life.
How should scientific research be regulated through funding and legislation?
In every scientific research, two key players control and regulate how the research is undertaken. These are funding institutions and the regulatory authorities. Regulations are mostly developed through legislation in democracies. Through legislation, regulations are created that provide guidelines for scientific research in terms of norms and the expectations (Gene Drives on the Horizon, 2016). Legislation should, therefore, deliver policies that guide the scientists with regard to the extremes that they can go to, and how scientific research should be undertaken in conformity to observing conventional human rights.
Funding has a major impact on how and the extent to which scientific research is undertaken. Funding organizations could be government or private institutions (Gene Drives on the Horizon, 2016). The motivation behind every institution providing funding to a scientific activity is to enable the achievement of new developments in science (Gene Drives on the Horizon, 2016). As such, funding should be provided to research whose potential benefits exceed the potential defaults. Extra care should be taken to ensure that research funded has made sufficient safeguards to prevent the possibility of the potential hazards. This will help regulate scientific research and ensure that funds are channeled towards projects that have more benefits to humanity.
References
Englehart, S., Truog, C., Fricke, P., & Crichton, M. (2014). Jurassic Park. Minneapolis, Minn.: Spotlight.
Frankenstein (1931). (2018). Retrieved from http://www.filmsite.org/fran3.html
Gene Drives on the Horizon. (2016). Washington.
National Academies Press. (2014). Oversight and Review of Clinical Gene Transfer Protocols. Washington.
Rout, G., & Peter, K. (2018). Genetic Engineering of Horticultural Crops. Elsevier Science.
