The Negative Effects Of The Industrial Revolution In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Smartphones. Televisions. Computers. In this time period when technology has become prevalent, it is almost impossible for someone to not have constant contact with such gadgets on an everyday basis. As technology becomes more advanced, human beings are further entrenched in this field of innovation. In fact, some have claimed that their dependence on it is so extreme that instead of using other means, they strive to eliminate its negative effects through more innovation (Dreyfuss). Such overdependence can be considered as an addiction. One of the most prominent changes that sparked this addiction was the Industrial Revolution, a boom in technological progress. During the Industrial Revolution, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, a gothic novel that

They saw improvements in terms of transportation, communication, and banking ("Industrial Revolution"). Little did they know that they would soon be in misery. As scientists’ sole goal during the Industrial Revolution was to innovate, they were too fixated on their passion; they became ignorant of the consequences of their inventions. With the rapid increase in the number of factories and machinery, living standards declined quickly. Without realizing how severe the negative implications of technology could be, society was “not able to keep pace with the immense amount of pollution and unsanitary living conditions” ("Industrial Revolution"). In Shelley’s novel, Victor Frankenstein, the fanatical natural philosopher, represents the scientists’ collective perspective while his creation embodies the very ideal of technology. As Victor becomes extremely obsessed with finding the origin of life, he does not care about any other elements around him, including his friends and his environment. On the other hand, his creation, though a naturally gentle being, becomes destructive as he is disdained by humanity for his monstrous appearance (Shelley). These two characters parallel the trend of Industrial Revolution. While the role of technology was to make peoples’ lives easier, when unguided, it gradually transformed into a devastating

From self-driving cars to increasingly “smart” gadgets and virtual reality, technology has now become an integral part of humans’ lives. As individuals become more dependent on it, the rate of innovation has a further “legitimate” reason to rise. Currently, the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been on an increasing trend. Simply put, Artificial Intelligence serves to mimic and to even surpass the capabilities of a human brain. Just recently, an AI developed by Google DeepMind has managed to defeat Lee Sedol, a world champion of the Go game. Due to the countless number of possibilities of the game, this was once a task that was previously deemed impossible to solve by brute force alone (Burgess). This may not seem important to the public; however, it is crucial to note that Artificial Intelligence has now shown explicit signs of surpassing humans. If this trend of technology continues unguided, how can someone ensure that there will not be an AI that will transform into a destructive being like Victor’s