Frankenstein: A New Edition for Scientists and Engineers
Editors: Ed Finn, Assistant Professor, School of Arts, Media and Engineering and Department of English; Founding Director, Center for Science and the Imagination, Arizona State University
David Guston, Professor, Department of Political Science; Founding Director, School for the Future of Innovation in Society; Co-Director, Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes, Arizona State University
Jason Robert, Dean’s Distinguished Professor, School of Life Sciences; Director, Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics, Arizona State University
Published by MIT Press, Expected Spring 2017
No work of literature has done more to shape the way humans imagine science and its moral consequences than Frankenstein, Mary Shelley’s enduring tale of creation and responsibility. Shelley produced in both the creature and its creator tropes that not only continue to resonate with contemporary audiences but also actually influence the way we confront emerging technologies, conceptualize the process of scientific research, imagine the motivations and ethical struggles of scientists, and weigh the benefits of scientific research against its anticipated and unforeseen pitfalls.
In anticipation of the 2018 bicentennial of its original publication, the editors will create a new critical edition of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Annotated by topical experts and supplemented with accessible essays, this critical edition targets students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) who are receiving education in the ethical and social aspects of their fields. The book will be designed with the expectation that it will be a core text in promoting and enhancing interdisciplinary dialogue on the nature, roles, and responsibilities of scientists and engineers in society.
The Rightful Place of Science: Frankenstein
Edited by Megan K. Halpern, Jathan Sadowski, and Joey Eschrich
Published by ASU’sConsortium for Science, Policy, and Outcomes, Expected 2017
The dominant interpretation of Frankenstein, especially in beloved popular culture adaptations, is that of a mad scientist playing god and inventing things he shouldn’t. In this special volume of The Rightful Place on Science series, researchers present an alternate interpretation: Frankenstein isn’t a parable about Dr. Frankenstein’s hubris, but about his failure to accept responsibility for the consequences of his creative achievement. This volume frames Mary Shelley’s landmark novel as a tale about the importance of caring for the products of our creativity – whether that creativity is scientific, technological, philosophical, or artistic.