In Margaret Atwood’s book The Year of the Flood the virus responsible for the apocalypse is developed by a team of scientists led by Crake. A key theme in the story is the detrimental effect of advancing technology, especially concerning the development of genetic engineering. Throughout the book there are several examples of people using technology to advance their agendas such as the creation of Mo‘Hairs for the purpose of allowing people to easily change their hair. The creation of these animals highlights the use of technology to increase the profit of a corporation at the expense of wildlife. After the Waterless Flood, the Mo‘Hairs mane becomes tangled and twisted and they are impaired from escaping predators. Indeed, for most corporations, the primary goal appears to be to generate profit even at cost of others. This extends to human lives, too, as evidenced by the murder of Toby’s mother at the hands of HealthWyzer. While the use of technology in this way is horrible, it is not the technology’s fault itself. The net result of the technology in the case of both Toby’s mother and the Mo’Hairs is the development of a product that is intended to add value to humanity. It is the decision of the corporation to unethically begin a trial on an unsuspecting participant.
Consider who oversees the technology in the story and how they exercise their power. First individual corporations develop products that generate profit. In the case of HealthWyzer they create supplements that most of the population takes. The technology of pharmaceuticals places the wellbeing of almost every citizen in the hands of a single corporation, and specifically, the top members of that corporation. This is not only true for HealthWyzer, but for Crake’s corporation as well. In this way technology becomes a force multiplier that allows very small groups to drastically effect the entire population. In most cases, the established culture in The Year of the Flood would only wants to generate income with little consideration for human or animal life. However, because of technology, it allows a small fringe terrorist cell or even a single person to annihilate human life as is the case with Crake. This is not the fault of technology as it is only a tool, it does not have morality. Nevertheless, the ramifications of allowing a single person to unilaterally decimate the populations of the world is a natural consequence of advancing technology of any kind and the morality of those who have access to said technology should be considered carefully. Like a fire, technology can both be useful or incredibly destructive.
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AuthorI am a mechanical engineering student graduating this semester. Studying the role of societal change in the apocalypse interests me. Archives
April 2021
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