1 JANUARY 2018
In 1818, Mary Shelly’s novel “Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus’ was published. The
story, about the “crazy scientist” Victor Frankenstein who created a living being out of non-
living materials, as if he is Prometheus, adding the fire to the clay, still fascinates. The world
has gone around the sun 200 times, and now we are in the future: the story of the
Frankenstein Monster has become more and more relevant. We are not sure yet about what
the fire is, but it is apparent that robots, cyborgs, and other entities will have a huge
influence on our lives, and we don’t only struggle with the acceptance of “normal” humans
in society, but also have our xenophobic tendencies towards robots (especially the eerily,
uncanny humanoid forms), cyborgs, sex robots, etc. It is not illogical that the Frankenstein
Monster had troubles being accepted in human society in Shelly’s novel, and that Isaac
Asimov coined the term ‘Frankenstein Complex’ for the fear of ‘mechanical men’. In the
Frankenstein story, only the blind man could stand and appreciate the presence of the
“monster”, and the creature started hating humans as they feared him so much for his
physical appearance alone. We want to accentuate this, and point out the relevance of
acceptance, appreciation for existence, and the potential for learning and love, instead of
fear, for the coming of the ‘mechanical men’, whatever form they might take.
We wish you a very happy Frankenstein Year, may you find and express love, whether to a
human or a robot.
