scientific advancement theme Flashcards
Oryx and Crake described as
‘speculative fiction’- a novel that takes the current trends and extrapolates the, to explore what the future might look like
advances of 21st century
in biological and genetic engineering and the questions raised about the moral and ethical responsibilities of science and scientists when they became capable of creating new kinds of life and manipulating natural processes
power of nature
some characters in the novel fail to exercise their power over nature responsibly - like Crake
his genetic experiments on the Crakers and his introduction of the virus are a nightmarish product of the advanced biological science
general experiments
the general experiments on plants, animals and humans performed by many different scientists are rife with immoral conduct
“a lot of fooling around in those days: create-an-animal was so much fun, said the guys doing it. It made you feel like God”
healthWyzer
sells disguised viruses into the population so that they can sell new cures
implied that Jimmy’s mother knew about the abuses of knowledge and power happening at HealthWyzer
Sharon, Jimmy’s mother
joins the rebellious efforts against the corporations in the Pleebands
humanistic questions
the book imagines a world where humanistic questions, regarding ethics, morality and responsible decision making, have been pushed aside in the name of scientific progress
scientific progress
without humanistic thinking leads to perverse uses of scientific power and knowledge and has a dehumanising effect on culture generally
lack of information
“he thought of pigoons as creatures much like himself. Neither he nor they had a lot of say in what was going on”
decline of the humanities
“homo Sapiens Sapiens was once so ingenious with language”
“as soon as they start doing art, we’re in trouble”
idea of transgenetic pigs
influenced by real and similar experiments happening in the world
atwood describes science
as a Pandora’s box
Atwood is not against
the progress of science, just the side effects it produces
she came from a family of talented scientists
