Tuesday, January 11, 2011

The Classic Greek Tragedy

frankenstein_monster_boris_karloff

In the classic Greek tragedy, the first stage in the tragic chain of events is the Hamarita - the fatal flaw. Hamartia, an injury committed in ignorance (when the person affected or the results are not what the agent supposed they were) seen as an error in judgment or unwitting mistake. Another common interpretation of hamartia can be seen as a “moral deficit” or a “moral error”.

Interestingly, the ignorance - or lack of agency never spares the hero from the tragic end. Is the mutation carrier choosing to have a child without going through genetic testing or pre-implantation genetic diagnosis making a fatal flaw? Does the imminent catastrophe leaves a stain on their ethos? Are they condemned to a life of suffering and regrets? Have they just spread moral pollution throughout the family line?

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