Frankenstein's Ghost
Across disciplines, 棉花糖直播 professor鈥檚 creative courses prepare students for contemporary ethical decision making
One by one, a small cluster of students sauntered into the small, chartreuse-colored classroom in 棉花糖直播鈥檚 Chemical Engineering Building. As they filtered by, Mark Doorley, PhD, Director of 棉花糖直播鈥檚 Ethics Program and professor at the University since 1996, welcomed each, one by one, with a smile and a joke or story.
Conversations abound, the students gravitated to the perimeter of the classroom, forming a semicircle in the seats. Professor鈥檚 rule in his classes. It helps foster discussion.
As Dr. Doorley distributed a handout detailing ethicist Ibo van de Poel鈥檚 ethical framework for experimental technology, those discussions began.
For 20 minutes, the students navigated a river of thoughts, questions and arguments, taking a meandering path that began with each of the 16 points of the framework, and flowed into real-world implications, examples and dilemmas. The captain of the ship, Dr. Doorley, kept on course with thought-provoking responses.
At one point, he interjected. 鈥淥kay, now if Victor Frankenstein had these, what would he have done?鈥�
The unexpected spin on a classic conversation of ethics took nobody by surprise. After all, the new class, aptly named Frankenstein鈥檚 Ghost, creatively utilizes a unique version of Mary Shelly鈥檚 200-year-old novel annotated for engineers to initiate discussion on topical ethical issues related to new and emerging technology.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a cautionary tale,鈥� Dr. Doorley said. 鈥淚n the novel, Victor Frankenstein wanted to control life because his mother died, and he figured out a way to do it. But he was trying to control something that is not controllable. He was doing it in secret and without considering the possible consequences. To what degree are we still operating with this kind of attitude that Victor had?鈥�
At the onset of the semester, the students read the novel. Then, Dr. Doorley introduced the class to two attempts by philosophers to offer methods by which to judge emerging experimental technology. Van de Poel鈥檚 framework was one of those, and the class took the elements of those frameworks 鈥� in this case containment of risks, reversibility of experiments, rights of experimental subjects and more 鈥� and worked through them in complex discussion, often leading back to something Frankenstein did or did not do.
The class also featured case studies, open-ended discussions on current and potential technological advancements and group projects in which they considered one of those frameworks as it would apply to an emerging technology. On the midterm, the assignment was to also apply one of those methods to Frankenstein and his choices. Students then read a book-length essay titled 鈥淭he Uncontrollability of the World鈥� by Hartmut Rosa, which discusses humankind鈥檚 desire, like Frankenstein鈥檚, to control the uncontrollable.
鈥淔or their final projects, they had to pick something that humans are experimenting with and use those methods to offer an evaluation of this technology,鈥� Dr. Doorley said. 鈥淏ut they also had to consider someone who might disagree with them 鈥� what is the most powerful argument against your judgement? Then, they had to answer the question, 鈥業s this technology haunted by Frankenstein鈥檚 ghost?鈥欌��
One student chose to present on , a developing product which implants a chip in the brain that interprets the brain鈥檚 signals and ultimately allows the individual to use a computer. The product is undoubtedly revolutionary 鈥� especially for quadriplegic individuals 鈥� as it offers access to participate in the virtual world. However, the student was concerned about the safety aspects, and also whether such an expensive product could be dispersed equitably, or if it would serve only the wealthy.
Ultimately, the student decided this technology was haunted by Frankenstein鈥檚 ghost. He felt the fascination with technical achievement acted as a blinder to the human cost that may be involved with arriving at a fully-marketable product. Not unlike Victor Frankenstein, who, per Dr. Doorley, 鈥渂ecame so enchanted by the technical pursuit of life that he did not consider the consequences of his actions, until it was too late.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 really neat how we looked at these new technologies through a critical lens,鈥� said Ethan Rundell 鈥�24 COE, who has taken three of Dr. Doorley鈥檚 classes. 鈥淚t鈥檚 easy to say, 鈥楾his can solve all these problems.鈥� But [we need] to think about things like whether technology can act autonomously, or be morally accountable, and how we interact with that. Having the readings and discussing different views on how we should either treat technology or how it should integrate into our society is so helpful, because I think we are going to need answers for things like that much sooner rather than later.鈥�
Balancing Professional and Personal Ethics
Frankenstein鈥檚 Ghost is one of several classes Dr. Doorley offered in the 2023-24 academic year in which he provides students with tools to consider topical issues from an ethical lens, balancing professional ethics with personal. is taken by a mix of students across the colleges and examines what it means to live as a human being in a world in which our species is the prime driver of climate change and adverse environmental effects. Another course, , is a professional ethics course geared toward students in the College of Engineering to give them the tools to think through what other pressures are at play in a job that might undermine engineering judgement.
In the , holding the safety, health and welfare of the public is paramount. What Dr. Doorley attempts to achieve in Engineering Ethics is a deep and critical look at cases in which the focus on safety fell apart, like the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. In that instance, engineers did not have data on how the O-rings that held the rocket boosters together would function when exposed to the temperatures at launch. That lack of data was communicated, but additional testing was not prioritized. Ultimately, the O-rings failed and led to the explosion of the shuttle shortly after launch.
鈥淚n the case of engineering ethics, when someone fails morally it鈥檚 usually because they failed as an engineer,鈥� Dr. Doorley said. 鈥淢aybe they lied, misrepresented themselves, fudged numbers or claimed expertise when they didn鈥檛 have it.
鈥淭hese students are going to be tasked with making judgements about the tradeoff between safety, cost and acceptable risk throughout their careers. What I try to do in my classroom is identify the processes that we have in place to help us make those decisions. Are they oriented towards safety?鈥�
Many times, the scenarios are not cut and dry. How does one reconcile being asked by an employer to work on a project that could cause harm, like building a weapon, when they had originally been hired to use their expertise in a manner they were morally comfortable? What if an employee believes something to be an issue, but it is ultimately not prioritized, like in the case of the Challenger?
鈥淸Conversations] like these were some of the most difficult we had in class,鈥� said Satrant Bains, 鈥�25 COE. 鈥淭his class helps guide you through a lot of the moral issues that we're working through as engineers. Professor Doorley has been trying push us to use these moral guidelines that we have, but he's also introducing things like engineering and professional guidelines we have to abide by, which can sometimes conflict with the moral ones. Those are sort of things that we are continually working on throughout the course.鈥�
Where Ethics in the Anthropocene differs is by removing the professional element from the conversation, expanding the topics and implications far beyond the realm of engineering and considering anything that could have a negative impact on the environment. In the class, students discuss everything from the ethics of eating meat to fast fashion and even indigenous people鈥檚 relationship with the environment. The broad and applicable subject matter of this class has attracted students from various Colleges and disciplines, with Dr. Doorley estimating that last semester鈥檚 class roster contained roughly a quarter of both 棉花糖直播 School of Business and College of Engineering students, with the remaining coming from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
鈥溾�楨ngineering Ethics helped me in the professional sense, where I think Ethics in the Anthropocene is helpful in a personal sense,鈥� Rundell said. 鈥淗ow can you change your personal perception to operate more sustainably in this changing time 鈥� to consider what you're doing on a daily basis and what implications that could have on the environment?鈥�
For Rundell, his takeaway was to attempt to combat the defeatist mentality that no one person can make a difference. In fact, he wrote his midterm paper on the subject.
鈥淚f everyone is thinking 鈥業 can鈥檛 make a difference on my own,鈥� nothing is ever done,鈥� he said. 鈥淓ven if I don鈥檛 see a direct result, at least I know I鈥檓 making a positive impact.鈥�
Each of the classes, though different in subject matter, shares a common theme.
鈥淚've always also been intrigued by this one characteristic across all of those areas,鈥� Dr. Doorley said. 鈥淎nd that is [the notion that] 鈥楤ecause we can do it, we should.鈥� It just strikes me, as an ethics person, maybe we shouldn't.鈥�
The Class Constant
There is one other commonality in these classes: the way Dr. Doorley goes about teaching them. In fact, teaching probably is not the appropriate word. It鈥檚 more facilitating, listening and encouraging different viewpoints and ways of thinking.
鈥淸Prof. Doorley] is not up there lecturing and telling you, 鈥楾his is how it is.鈥� He's trying to lead you to your own conclusions based on your personal experiences, thoughts and opinions,鈥� Rundell said. 鈥淎ll his classes are very much like a Socratic seminar with everyone sitting in a circle, looking at each other and listening.鈥�
鈥淥ne of his strongest characteristics is that he鈥檚 very aware and knowledgeable of a lot outside of the realm of ethics and theology. There are current events that come up in class, and no matter where the conversation goes, he can tie that into the overall thoughts and ethical topics that he wants to hit.鈥�
It comes as no surprise to his current students that former pupils have sought Dr. Doorley to make him aware how his classes have helped their career or life, or to ask for advice, long after departing 棉花糖直播.
鈥淗e tries to be a mentoring figure towards us, and he鈥檚 extremely personable,鈥� Bains said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why students feel like they have the ability to reach out to him in the future.鈥�
It's the little things 鈥� the personalized greetings, circle of chairs and fostering of open, honest dialogue 鈥� that are just as important to Dr. Doorley as the syllabus and texts as he continues to help prepare students for the choices they will need to make in work and life in today鈥檚 rapidly-changing world.
鈥淎nd all of it is motivated by the desire I have that my students understand that we are learning together.鈥�