Comparison of Texts Draft Statement: ‘Monsters are not born into the world, they are created in it’. The significance of surroundings is portrayed through the use of imagery; it is affected by their attitudes formed by their own idiosyncratic epochs such as sublimity and postmodernism. Disparity in emotional control and behavior distinguishes a monster from a human. Both the novel “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley and film “Blade Runner” by Ridley Scott, contrasts this idea of nature verses nurture and detachment. The creature’s emotions have power over them and they become slaves to it because they are inexperienced.
PART A: Explain Mill’s challenge to the teleological argument. (25marks) The teleological argument claims that God designed the world with a purpose. God is often described to be omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent. Mill criticises the idea of the teleological argument, he doesn’t believe that the world is designed by a God because within nature there are cruelty and crimes that are unpunished. Mill argues that if God designed the universe he wouldn’t have created something containing any evil at all it wouldn’t fit in with his description.
"Creature" has its literal meaning of "a being created by God," and "idol" connotes a "false god." After the truth about Rochester's marriage to Bertha Mason is revealed, Jane pays for having turned away from God. Quote #1"He is not to them what he is to me," I thought: "he is not of their kind. I believe he is of mine; – I am sure he is, – I feel akin to him, – I understand the language of his countenance and movements: though rank and wealth sever us widely, I have something in my brain and heart, in my blood and nerves, that assimilates me mentally to him. […] I must, then, repeat continually that we are for ever sundered: – and yet, while I breathe and think I must love him."
Hume concluded that the three points are inconsistent. If God is omnipotent, He is aware of existing evil and suffering, and knows how to put a stop to it. If God is omnibenevolent He will want to put a stop to it. If God is both of these attributes, then evil cannot exist. Since we know evil and suffering is a necessary bi-product of human life, we must acknowledge that evil does exist.
The context in which both novel and the play was written was a time of conflict between science and religion, the scientific revelation opposed the belief that God was the earth’s creator. The harmony between science and faith broke down and the supernatural themes in both Macbeth and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde struck further fear to the people in society while they were vulnerable. This fear was linked with Victorian decorum, the way people presented themselves for other people’s judgement and perception was different to how they acted behind closed doors; it was a secret world of unsuspected lies and deception. Doctor Jekyll was a ‘respectable doctor’ and had earnt the trust and friendships but his mind was torn between right and wrong and his intrigue in new science brought out the other side to his personality in a literal and supernatural form. This is in the same way that Macbeth, ‘a valiant cousin’, who had the respect of the King, became driven by ambition which blurred the path of righteousness behind people’s backs.
He solved this problem by saying that god is responsible for the evil in the world by defining evil as “privation”. By this he means when we use worlds like “evil” and “bad” we are saying that something does not meet our expectations of what it should be like ( by nature). Augustine wrote that evil is not a substance but is in fact an absence of kind feelings. Augustine also said that god can’t be blamed for creating evil himself that occurs in the world. As he said that in fact evil comes from angels and human beings who chose deliberately to deny and disobey what God had taught them, by turning away from him and what he had wished for mankind.
Frankenstein was being written in a time when philosophers and writers such as Rousseau and John Locke where developing their ideas on the human condition. Rousseau’s Theory of Natural Human, which acknowledged that morality was not a societal construct but rather “natural” and “innate”, is questioned throughout the novel. Shelley examines the effect of society and knowledge on the innate goodness of the Creature, suggesting that he has become the monster that Victor sees him as because of the unwillingness of his creator to accept him and nurture him. The idea that humans’ innate goodness is tainted and polluted by society is present when the Creature expresses that his “sorrow only increased with knowledge” and this “increase of knowledge only discovered to [him] more clearly what wretched outcast [he] was”. The relationship between Frankenstein and the Creature is also paralleled with that of Lucifer and God and this is shown when the Creature, a symbol of humankind, acknowledges that “I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam; but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed”, suggesting that had it been nurtured/educated, it would have become an
The “Green movement” at the time was a rebellion against any scientific advancement which would have endangered the future of the environment or destroy it further than it had already been. The didactic style of blade runner explores this fear further; this is seen through the use of artificial eyes. This suggests the false wisdom of humanity. Whilst Shelly’s novel indicates a fear of the future, it still consisted of nature. However, Blade runner has very limited amounts of nature and shows a industrialized and scientifically advanced society thus the distinctive differences between Frankenstein and blade runner reveal more about the connections between them.
As the great scientist pursued their work exalting God, more were questioning the religious truths and values? Who had rules of reasoning to discover nature’s law? Who said every person was born with a blank mind or “tabula Rasa,” and believed we gain knowledge from reason, not faith? Who recognized the center of leaders of the enlightenment,
These are mainly Roman Catholics and they disagree because they say that ‘life being at the moment of conception’ (page102) so if the embryos are used then it is like killing a baby which is banned by the Bible and the church. Even though Roman Catholics disagree with embryo use, they agree with the same things that the liberal Protestants agree with about genetic engineering. Also, some Christians are against genetic engineering completely. This is because they say that God made us how we are so we are in no place to interfere with Gods will. They also believe that genetic modification is almost like playing Gods role, which is seen as disrespectful to God.