Futurography: The Spawn of Frankenstein
Futurography combines the storytelling techniques of journalism and the instructive capacity of an online course in an effort to inform readers about the technologies that will define tomorrow. Presented by Future Tense, a partnership of ASU, Slate magazine, and New America, Futurography is a series of month-long editorial packages featuring articles by experts along with supplementary materials like quizzes, surveys, interactive elements, videos, and even the occasional science fiction story.
The January 2017 installment of Futurography, "The Spawn of Frankenstein," explored the cultural and scientific legacy of Frankenstein. The package features articles on modern-day biohacking; the need for open, transparent science; echoes of Victor and the creature in recent film and popular culture, from Ex Machina to Westworld; what artificial intelligence researchers can learn from Victor's mistakes; ethical debates around animal vivisection in the 19th century; connections between Frankenstein and the anti-vaccine movement; and the evolving linguistic dynamics of the prefix Franken-, which has taken on a life of its own.
