Mary Shelleys Frankenstein And The Exploration Of This...

What does it truly mean to have human consciousness? In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the exploration of this question, acts as an overarching theme throughout the novel. Starting from the creation of Dr. Frankenstein’s monster in chapter V of the story, Frankenstein himself has to come to terms with the fact that he truly believes he has created a monster, and the creature itself has to begin to understand why he has this label of a monster, even after he begins to see the humanity within himself. Though the assumption throughout the entire novel remains that this creation does not have any sort of humanity, that fact cannot be argued as easily, as his morality, ethics, intelligence and emotions come to light in chapters XV and XVI; all very traditionally human characteristics. Soon the only truly unhuman traits about the monster is his unorthodox entrance into the world in a lab and his discomforting physical features. Whether or not this creation is truly a monster ca n no longer be easily discernable and what truly characterizes a human soon comes into question. In our world today we must address the same conundrum. As artificial intelligence becomes more advanced and continues to progress into thinking and feeling on their own, what should their treatment involve in our world? If advanced artificial intelligence fits the criteria of human consciousness, why should they not have the rights we do as human beings? My essay will first explore the criteria for human