Arthur C. Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey?

To imagine the modern United States without the aid of cellphones, computers, or practically any form of technology is quite hard to do. There has been a drastic increase in the advancement and use of technology just in the past decades alone. When all of these aids are within an affordable grasp of the majority of Americans, it is understandable why it is so hard to resist being consumed by the technology that surrounds us. In 1968, Arthur C. Clarke released a novel that focused on our technological reliance, and hints at the problems that will come. 2001: A Space Odyssey is a collection of stories ranging from the time of ancient man-apes to 2001, when two men, Poole and Bowman, attempt to reach the planet Saturn in search of new life. It

What Bowman and Poole are not informed of during departure from Earth is that they will not survive, however, this is something that Hal is aware of. The two are simply on the ship to attract positive publicity as Discovery departs Earth, and knowing this Hal does not understand their significance, as they do not contribute to the real goal of reaching Saturn. This leads to the most debated part of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Hal’s “ERR”. Hal notes an error in the ships telecommunication satellite that connects with Earth, but when it is removed for maintenance, the astronauts find that it is working perfectly. Hal then reports that the AE-35 is broken a second time, and that’s when the astronauts start to become suspicious. “We can design a system that’s proof against accident and stupidity; but we can’t design one that’s proof against deliberate malice”; this is spoken by one of the designers of Hal before the mission departs Earth, and is Clarke’s way of foreshadowing the problems that will occur with Hal due to its complexity (Clarke 194). To trust a computer to even have the capability of “deliberate malice” is frightening, especially when the lives of 5 humans are at stake (Krusch). Clarke is symbolizing the trust humans’ put into a technology that is advancing to the point that it surpasses human intelligence

However, taking a closer look at each individual section of the novel and linking the underlying themes with the historical context gives it much more meaning (Elbert). Clarke decides to focus primarily on the growing reliance humans have held in technology and the perils that come with it. Man has a perception that technology is flawless, and knowing this Clarke attempts to debunk the myth by including Hal’s “ERR”. Hal making an error is not only dangerous to the life of Bowman and Poole, but also is proof that if the entire human race relies as heavily on artificial intelligence as the astronauts, then it will be the cause of its own destruction (Krusch). Humans have reached the point where they are putting trust into machines that they do not fully understand, and the increasing amount of unknowns in technology is going to eventually become hazardous to human