Science and Human Nature

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Science, a field that involves various subjects including math, biology, chemistry etc, is one of those most influential aspects of human history. Merriam-webster dictionary defines it as: “such knowledge or such a system of knowledge concerned with the physical world and its phenomena: Nature Science” (“Science”, Merriam-webster Dictionary). What it studies is alway related to our nature, ourselves. It is a field that requires sophisticated knowledge and skill, as well as long-term devotement. Hence, whenever there is major breakthrough, it possibly can change the entire course of mankind. Take steam engine as an example, it took James Watt decades to study the prototype of the original steam engine and then successfully modified it for commercial use. Such tremendous breakthrough in mechanical science became the key to the first Industrial Revolution, and a page-turn to a new chapter of human history. However, such scientific innovations always have to take another aspect of mankind into consideration—the moral question: whether one invention is against human nature and the principle of our physical world or not. It is a crucial concern because as long as an invention is abnormal to what we believe in, or works in an opposite way contradicting our nature, it might have a disastrous consequence. In Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein and Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, both authors have expressed their opinions on such concern. In their novels, they present two different stories about two scientists and their unordinary creations, and the aftermaths of such inventions, both to themselves and to the society. In my point of view, I argue that with the use of first person point of view, detail description on ...

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...rom them; vivid descriptions of the monsters demonstrate what terrible results such studies can create; and the side characters and social background makes the readers more convinced such studies are unacceptable. The same message from these two novel needs to be remembered, even nowadays. Only when the boundary and limit of human nature are not broken, can science benefit mankind.

Works Cited

Bright, Wilson, E. An Introduction to Scientific Research. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1952. 8. Print.

Schwartz, Barry, and Hugh Lacey. Behaviorism, Science, and Human Nature. 1st. New york: Norton, 1982. 7. Print.

"Science." Def. 3b. Merriam Webster Online, Merriam Webster, n.d. Web. 16 Mar 2014.

Struzziero, Maria Antonietta, ed. "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: Themes." Dualism & Dualities . N.p.. Web. 16 Mar 2014. .

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