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Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey

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In his 1968 masterpiece "2001: A Space Odyssey" Stanley Kubrick predicted the problem that might arise if the humankind continues developing complex technology without understanding what consciousness is and how it is created.

Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke, the leading science fiction author of that time, wrote the script in which they, fifty years ahead of their time, foresaw the problem that preoccupies many scientists today: should we continue developing computers and artificial intelligence without sufficient understanding of the material origin of consciousness?

In this Kubrick's cult movie, a spaceship is controlled by a computer Hal 9000. Hal is supposed to be faultless, but during the voyage it starts to show signs of its own consciousness. Soon, it stops agreeing with people's commands. As the crewmen and Hal try to outwit each other, the computer, losing the battle, begins to show emotions, such as fear that it will be deactivated. This interesting story, which in 1968 seemed to be science fiction, has become a real fear of many today's scientists. …show more content…

In nature, there are so-called "emergent phenomena" which appear spontaneously when something in their base becomes complicated enough. Thus, wind waves appear in a big grain field thanks to the great number of ears, while flocks of birds that are big enough create beautiful wavy shapes in the air. There is a fear that consciousness might also be an emergent phenomenon and a result of a huge number of neurons, their interrelations and electric impulses in the

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However, Carr did not inform the readers his credentials and professional expertise throughout the essay. His profession is established at the end of the essay on a small footnote, which also provided his other essays and books. In the beginning of his essay, he establishes himself as a trustworthy source by discussing catastrophic events and providing small amounts of history. He also used quotes from historical figures such as the British mathematician and philosopher Alfred North Whitehead to make readers assume that he researched for his topic, which he did (90). Carr also provided opposing viewpoints by giving the reader’s quotes from theorists who are pro-automation and facts that prove humans can be “unreliable and inefficient” when they are responsible for operating simple tasks (93).

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In the excerpt “Under the Eye of the Clock” by Christopher Nolan, talks about the paralyzed boy joseph who is overwhelming with muscle pains. The excerpt develops an idea that tell us that no matter what the situation is, there is always hope. According to text, “Typing festered hope” (line 20). The author of the excerpt, means to tell us that you should never think that, you will not able to do anything, since you are paralyzed; there is always hope and you should wait for right time to come. In addition to that, author also says “great spasms gripped him rigid and sent his simple nod into a farcical effort which ran to each and every one of his limbs” (line 24 and 25).

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As far as we know, we could unknowingly be moving ourselves to technology that can start to think for itself. such as the co-captain from wall-e.

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Google co-founder Sergey Brin states, “certainly if you had all the world’s information directly attached to your brain, or an artificial brain that was smarter than your brain, you’d be better off” (Carr 10). Larry Page and Sergey Brin often talk about how they want to create a machine-like HAL in Stanley Kubrick’s film, “A Timeless Space Odyssey”. For the most part, Carr believes this project is an ambitious project filled with uncertainty and interest all around, but still feels uncertain about how we will be able to reap in all

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He introduces a concept called “intellectual technologies” meaning that we essentially embody the technology we possess. Carr uses the mechanical clock as an example of this by saying, The attention is then turned to Google. The creators admit to desiring to devise something just “as smart as people—or smarter.” The developers believe that they are genuinely working on solving the currently unsolvable–artificial intelligence on a gigantic scale. Carr makes a point to mention that the fact they say humans would be “better off” is worrisome.

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2. In the novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey, Kesey uses images of machinery to compare to Big Nurse, Miss Ratched, and the black boy because of the control they maintain in the ward and destroy the patients individuality. As Chief Bromden, the narrator, is thinking about over the years with Miss Ratched, he describes, “I see her sit in the center of this web of wires like a watchful robot, tend her network with mechanical insect skill, know every second which wire runs where and just what current to send up to get to the result she want” (Kesey 29). Miss Ratched is conveyed as a robot by the Chief with how she controls and knows how to control the ward and the people in it.

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However, advancements in the field made it possible to better understand that not only was psychology more complex than concepts of consciousness, but also that there were many other mental aspects at play. Consciousness has since been redefined to express the idea of awareness – both of personal being and the environment that exists around it. It is through cognitive neuroscience, which is the study of the brain in relation to its mental processes, that scientists can better understand the level of consciousness. Knowing how the body reacts at various levels, what human control exists in each and how they contribute to the activities of the brain can likely explain a lot about human behavior. Within cognitive neuroscience, the latest research is able to the show the ways in which brain activity centered on imagined thoughts, personal ideals and concepts and the inner working of this organ direct behavior among individuals of varying backgrounds and physical

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In the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey there are multiple instances in which the protagonist’s values and integrity are tested. Randle McMurphy, a tall and boisterous redhead, is committed to an insane asylum where he meets Nurse Ratched, who is also known as ‘The Big Nurse’, and Chief Bromden, and Billy Bibbit among other adult men on the ward. McMurphy is an outgoing new patient who makes it his mission to ‘break’ Nurse Ratched’s strict and overbearing rule over the ward without getting lobotomized, having electroshock therapy, or sent up to the Disturbed Ward. McMurphy’s values are repeatedly challenged when Nurse Ratched, a sadistic bulldog of a woman, attempts to get a rise out of him in various ways. She calls him by the wrong name on purpose, and yet he maintains his morals, and remains in control.

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In the film “Artificial Intelligence,” it begins with the press meeting introducing the innovative project, however Henry doesn’t own the company like, he did in the short story. In the film, the company grants a newly synthetic boy due to a family misfortune Henry and Monica experienced. The Swinton’s son had an incident in which both his legs were surgically removed and kept incubated for monitoring. David became the “solution” for Monica to cope with the grief of loneliness without her son Martin. In the short story, Aldiss did not incorporate Martin becauase he wanted to emphasize on the conflict of Monica’s inability to love her son.

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Nicholas Carr begins the article with a quote from Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey where HAL is speaking to the man that is disconnecting this circuits. He says he feels that the internet is rewiring his brain. After spending a lot of time on the internet, it has been helpful for him and his career but has come with some side effects. We are in the age of the internet and everything around us has evolved around it.

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To help create his debut film Citizen Kane, Orson Welles assembled a talented group of artists and technicians who together produced a film that redefined cinema forever. During the film’s production process, Welles himself stated that making a film “is the biggest electric train set any boy ever had.” By this he meant that the production studio was his playground and he intended to use every tool at his disposal. Starting from the film’s very first shot; he proves this to be true. As the film begins, the camera silently cranes up over the fences that surround Charles Foster Kane’s mansion and then slowly transitions to a montage of palatial estate.

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One of the most overt philosophical references occurs near the beginning of The Matrix when Neo stashes his illegal software inside a hollowed-out copy of a book by French postmodern philosopher Jean Baudrillard entitled Simulacra and Simulation. Originally published in 1981, Baudrillard’s book argues that late-twentieth-century consumer culture is a world in which simulations or imitations of reality have become more real than reality itself, a condition he describes as the “hyper-real.” For example, walking and running are not nearly as important as they were in premodern societies, but jogging is a recreational pastime, replete with special shoes, clothes, books, and other gear. To take another example, we no longer live in communities where

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In 1985, Akira Kurosawa created Ran, a Japanese film adaption of Shakespeare’s tragedy, King Lear. The women in Ran are stronger and portrayed more feministically than in Shakespeare’s original play. Although Kurosawa changed the three main female characters to men, it was an action taken to accurately portray Japanese culture and should not be taken as offensive or antifeminist, in addition Kurosawa adds strong female characters that were not present in King Lear. In Shakespeare’s play, the three sisters were symbols of strength, the play is known for it’s feministic attributes but the women generally just watch the men do the ‘masculine’ jobs from their place. Meanwhile in Ran, Lady Kaede (played by Mieko Harada) is a strong female character

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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

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Your introduction is eye catching because you are giving a unique perspective on this important film. The emphasis on the changes of our planet, is probably the most talked aspect of this movie but is only a small part in what makes the movie great. Anyone can talk about the progress we have made, however they cannot tell it in a way people like Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke and Gyorgy Ligeti can. Our society has a tendency to overly condense lots of things, among them being “2001: A Space Odyssey” and your introduction says that it will not which builds the pathway to an intriguing essay.

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