Beyond its literary dimension, Mary Shelley’s work will be read in light of a fundamental precedent: the myth of Prometheus, to the point that its original title, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, already places this lineage at the very heart of the work.
From this connection, the session will explore one of the deepest singularities of the Western tradition: the exaltation of the figure who dares to challenge the gods, seize their technical power, and place it at the service of humankind. Within this Promethean gesture lies a decisive idea: that technology expresses not only domination or transgression, but also a form of philanthropy, understood as devotion and service to others.
Together with Gregorio Luri Medrano, we will reflect on how Frankenstein reformulates this legacy in modern terms, and on what this myth can still tell us today about technology, progress, and the human condition. An invitation to consider to what extent we are something more than technological animals, and what meaning we give to the power to create, transform, and challenge our own limits.