Should we or should we not bring back dinosaurs? Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton is all about the ethical implications of this idea coming to life.
Lizards attacking people?
Jurassic Park is located on Isla Nublar, an island off the coast of Costa Rica. We don’t really know what happens at Jurassic Part off the bat. But we can tell strange things are happening on the mainland of Costa Rica. People are coming to the hospital with wounds resembling animal attacks, but nobody is truthful as to what actually occurred. Looks like a new species of “lizard” is attacking people. It looks like this “lizard” might be in the dinosaur family.
It’s dinosaurs.
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton explores what would happen if we brought dinosaurs back to life. It all begins when the head of a bioengineering company gets the idea to make a zoo of prehistoric animals. As one might assume based on the book’s wide popularity, things go wrong. Terribly wrong. But thanks to Crichton we can learn the moral of the story without experiencing the wrath of these animals ourselves.
Should we bring back prehistoric animals?
Michael Crichton does a great job at blending science and philosophical plots in a way that is easy to follow. He recreated these creatures very thoughtfully, considering how they could’vev behaved as well as their unexpected tendencies. He gives us the the best of both words in this story: truth and fiction. You’ll get to learn about some real dinosaurs while using fiction to explore how these animals might have actually behaved.
This approach resonated with me because it breathes life into what life could’ve been, even if it’s fictionalized. In fact, I think it’s necessary to use fiction in order to understand how the world really works. We get to suspend our disbelief in something that’s not fully fleshed out in our history. We get to find gaps in our interpretations that we might’ve missed without fiction.
In modern times, we have theories about the behaviors of dinosaurs from fossil records. We base these on teeth and bone structure as well as other clues found around the site of the fossils. Yet, the bones can’t tell us what it’s like to live among deadly giants. It can’t tell us whether or not we should even attempt to find out.
It could happen
Crichton did a great job convincing me that living amongst vicious predators is dangerous. And he did so in a way that presents the dangers realistically. I could totally see someone like Elon Musk venturing into a Jurassic Park-esk venture just to see what happens. I mean, who wouldn’t want to spend an afternoon at a dinosaur park? That’s even more telling about the human race. We’re aware of the risk and yet are willing to accept the cost in the name of re-discovery.
All about the plot
My only gripe with the story is the lack of depth and growth in the characters we follow. As I mentioned earlier, this is a cautionary tale exploring a hypothetical scenario. It makes sense that the story doesn’t rely on the characters arcs to make it’s point. They help us explore the ethos of Jurassic Park and teach us that ambition can overshadow caution.
There’s more to Jurassic Park
I loved the fast-paced nature of this story since it takes place over the course of a couple of days. It is full of adventure, mystery, and suspense. It also has some conspiratorial aspects that unfold throughout the story, as well as an overarching plot that we can follow in the next 2 books in the series.
I’m interested to see the plot develop across the full trilogy. I would recommend it to people that want to learn about dinosaurs in an engaging and thought-provoking way. A lot of it is scientifically accurate, which was my favorite thing about it because the entire book served as a thought experiment that could actually apply to real life. It was well-written and engaging, and definitely for the science lover!