Jurassic Park Introduction

Readers often skip the Introduction to a story as it usually contains background that they are not interested in. So, they leaf past it and hop right into the story. That would be a mistake with Jurassic Park because the Introduction provides a fictional context to the story with enough facts tossed in to make it sound like the story hasn’t started yet. It begins,

“The late 20th century has witnessed a scientific gold rush of astonishing proportions: the headlong and furious haste to commercialize genetic engineering. This enterprise has proceeded so rapidly -- with so little outside commentary -- that the dimensions and implications are hardly understood at all.”

When the book came out in 1990 most readers would have heard of sheep cloning, genetically modified organisms, and DNA mapping. So, if they were not fully up to speed with genetic engineering, those claims would not have surprised anyone. After all, most people were struggling to keep up with Information Technology and were constantly feeling like they were getting a little behind. So, biotechnology just wasn’t on the front burner yet. Perhaps we need a few more details.

The technique of cloning from DNA was plausible even back in 1990 as gene splicing was first invented two decades earlier. While Jurassic Park was a little ahead of its time, the first cloned sheep occurred only six years later in 1996 and talk of bringing back an extinct mammoth started around a decade later in 2000. In 1997 The Science of Jurassic Park was written by Rob DeSalle and David Lindley who attempted to refute the premise of the story. But when scientists spend over 200 pages attempting to refute the premise of a science fiction story, one must agree that it was at least plausible. And plausibility is all you need for a story like this. Or is it. Maybe plausibility is enough for you to enjoy the story. But this is a call to action.

Crichton raises the stakes further with the claim,

“Biotechnology promises the greatest revolution in human history. By the end of the decade, it will have outdistanced atomic power and computers in its effect on our everyday lives. In the words of one observer, ‘Biotechnology is going to transform every aspect of human life: our medical care, our food, our health, our entertainment, our very bodies. Nothing will ever be the same again. It is literally going to change the face of the planet.’”

There was no footnote or reference to this embedded quote. But few readers would have dwelled on that. After all this tsunami of biotechnology is about to sweep over the tranquility of our lives changing everything. So, in order to be prepared one must pay attention and see what is going on. Did that occur? Well, the end of the decade would have been the year 2000 and biotechnology had not yet transformed every aspect of human life. It probably will eventually. But not yet. Still, Jurassic Park is a cautionary tale. And the lessons are becoming more germane with each year and each new biotech start up.

Once Crichton has established this fictional but plausible crisis, he goes on to provide more details giving his claims greater credibility. He says, “But the biotechnology revolution differs in three important aspects from past scientific transformations.”

“First it is broad based.”

“Second much of the research is thoughtless or frivolous.”

“Third the work is uncontrolled.”

And, if that isn’t enough,

“the most disturbing is the fact that no watchdogs are found within the scientists themselves. It is remarkable that nearly every scientist in genetics research is also engaged in the commerce of biotechnology. There are no detached observers. Everybody has a stake.”

Sounds like a perfect storm. But it is not entirely true. Bioethics started two decades before this book was written. But that is quibbling. As a foundation for a cautionary tale in the form of a novel you can’t get any better than this. It leads to the obvious conclusion that,

“The commercialization of molecular biology is the most stunning ethical event in the history of science, and it has happened at an astonishing speed.”

And that is what the reader needs to know.

At this point, readers who did carefully read the Introduction are unsure whether the commercialization of molecular biology is the most stunning ethical event in the history of science. If it is, then shouldn’t somebody be doing something about it? Well, I guess it isn’t really clear just yet. And this pattern of human behavior where we wait until the pattern is clear and hope we haven’t waited too long will be a theme for the rest of the book.

This is a recurring problem in the ethics of technology and other areas as well. People look back to a time when the pattern was not clear and proclaim that the people of the time should have seen it coming. But this is far easier said than done. We will see this problem crop up again in the Prologue. If only Dr. Roberta Carter had reported the incident where she was brought the victim of a raptor attack perhaps the whole fiasco could have been avoided. But was that realistic?

This introduction was a prophecy which provided credibility to the upcoming story. Hopefully, future events will not provide more credibility. So, is it a crisis, an unparalleled ethical event, and is it happening fast? Just how bad is it? Well, now we get to the foundation for the story.

Crichton provides more details to give the story more credibility. He introduces a fictional company called InGen doing research on a remote fictional island off the coast of Costa Rica. Does anyone bother to look up that island and see if it really exists? Probably not. The reader has probably bought into the story enough to not question it. Isla Nublar means cloudy island. Cloudy. Is that a metaphor for unclear? Is it unclear what is going on? Yes, and isn’t that one of the major themes of the book. We often proceed even if it is unclear what is going on. And, if there aren’t enough hints along the way Crichton spells it out for the reader with a visual metaphor of an emerging pattern of a fractal that appears seven times between chapters of the book as the fractal and the outcome of the story become clear. Again, the reader is unsure what is fact and what is fiction, what is clear and what is unclear. Is this something we need to worry about?

Crichton is going to pull back the curtain of mystery and tell you the whole story. Of course, we now know that InGen is a fictitious company in a fictional story. But is that clear or is it something we figured out later? Nothing is clear. At this point, we don’t know whether to call our Congress people or just keep reading. Well, best to keep reading. Maybe it will become clear.

This is brilliant! Whether you believe this introduction is fiction setting the stage for a believable story or nonfiction reporting on a possible story, or even if you believe the introduction is nonfiction providing a basis for a fictionalize account of a real occurrence, this introduction provides a compelling plausibility argument. The reader is willing to suspend disbelief and buy into the premise of the story, as incredible as it all may seem.

Just to nail it down a bit, Crichton lets you look ahead to the outcome of the story.

“In this commercial climate, it is probably inevitable that a company as ambitious as International Genetic Technologies Inc., of Palo Alto, would arise. It is equally unsurprising that the genetic crisis it created should go unreported. After all, In-Gen's research was conducted in secret; the actual incident occurred in the most remote region of Central America; and fewer than 20 people were there to witness it. Of those, only a handful survived.”

Wow! No wonder we haven’t heard of it. Well, that isn’t really the reason. In-Gen is made up and the outcome of the In-Gen story is completely fabricated. But at this point the reader is no longer sure what is true and what is not.

As the reader begins the story, they can’t help but wonder which parts are real, which parts are embellished, and which parts are fully made up. Was In Gen real? Was it a cover name for a real corporation. Did an event like the one portended in the Introduction actually happen? Well, it just isn’t clear. This could very well be the motto of the Ethics of Technology.

And each reader cannot help but think, it’s plausible, this could have happened just like the story said.

And that makes for a brilliant story.