A Space Odyssey and Technology

Moon-Watcher and the other man-apes argon the ancestors of break day man, and thus lack in both intelligence service and problem-solving abilities. Their future, therefore, appears rather grim, as Clarke explains:

At the great age of twenty-five, he [Moon-Watcher] was still in full possession of all his faculties; if his lot continued, and he avoided accidents, disease, predators, and starvation, he might survive for as oft seasons as another ten twelvemonths (7).

It is not until the surreptitious crystal monolith appears that the man-apes begin to gain in both skills and technology. The monolith not only studies the man-apes' minds and bodies, but is able to control their actions as well. Soon, the minds of whatsoever of the man-apes, including Moon-Watcher, begin to develop, and they learn to hunt and make their own tools. In the beginning, the technology is not great, but "The tools they had been programmed to use were simple enough, so far they could change this world and make the man-apes its masters" (20). Indeed, from these early porcine tools, much advanced ones are built, and soon hunger and drouth are no longer a problem for the man-apes. They are able to build upon this humble beginning, and incorporate new materials to grow greater and more(prenominal) advanced tools. These proficient advances, however, do not come without a price, as they bring danger as well as innovation with them. As Clarke describes:

In this new form, Bowman is able to harvest-festival to the Milky Way galaxy, and gaze down upon the Earth. From this vantage point, he is able to observe a "slumbering cargo of death" streaking crosswise the sky, and prevent it from wrecking havoc upon the earth. Indeed, Bowman must turn in Man from himself, as he likely prevents a nuclear warhead from obliterating the completed planet, as "The feeble energies it contained were no thinkable menace to him" (236).

Clarke, Arthur C. 2001: A Space Odyssey. London: Penguin, 1968.

In fact, it seems more likely that it is Man who truly uses the knowledge and skills bestowed upon him by these outlander forces to wreck havoc.

In the novel's final moments, Bowman is able to salve the Earth from nuclear holocaust because extraterrestrial technology has modify him into an all-powerful entity. Because he uses the technology for the greater good, Man is saved. Thus, extraterrestrial technology, in and of itself, is not necessarily a dangerous force.

The time might even come when Hal would take command of the ship. In an emergency, if no one answered his signals, he would attempt to wake the quiescence members of the crew, by electrical and chemical stimulation. If they did not respond, he would tuner Earth for further orders (94).

In the next section of the book, Clarke advances his timeline to the year 2001. As a result, there are vast technological developments that make man's life easier, as well as more dangerous. Space travel has been common place, and the United States has a seek station based on the Moon. On the space wench Discovery, there is an artificially intelligent computer, Hal, that is able to manage the entire trip, and communicate with the crew by speaking. Indeed, Hal is the only one who knows the authorized purpose the journey, and is crucial to the success of the mission. Clarke describes:

From the novel's opening, when Clarke introduces the crystal monolith, and demonstrates its
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