What Are The Similarities Between 2001 Space Odyssey And Frankenstein

2001: A Space Odyssey, directed by Stanley Kubrick, is not only a thought provoking movie, but one with many themes exploring subjects of human creation, evolution, artificial life and human meaning. For this reason, historical figures such as Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein, and philosophers Voltaire and Neitzshe would likely have enjoyed the movie and would find themes that align with their own ideologies and outlooks of the human condition. Being based around human creation and evolution, all three of these figures would likely have opinions on how the movie displays seemingly limitless progress to man, but also an expression of the limitations we experience in this endless search for achievement.

2001: A Space Odyssey is a science

For Mary Shelley and Frankenstein, it was the industrial revolution and for Stanley Kubrick and 2001: A Space Odyssey it was the space and computer age. During both of these times, the world was experiencing rapid technological growth, and as a result, rapid social change. This can be seen between the two stories as both consider what the future may look like and how the technological achievements of man may surpass the natural order of the world. Specifically, the creations of man end up being too great for man to handle, and in some way they both grow out of control. There is no doubt that this similarity is not a coincidence, and Frankenstein likely influenced the HAL plot within 2001: A Space Odyssey. However, this is typically a common question that arises with rapid technological growth as civilizations contemplate the boundaries of human scientific creation. Similarly, many people nowadays are considering whether computer AI is something we as humans should even consider pursuing and are uncomfortable with moving into a future where this will be commonplace. As a result, both stories seek deeper consideration to the ethical and moral considerations of scientific advancement. As Frankenstein explores scientific creation, Mary Shelley casts emphasis to Frankenstein’s god-like ego as he states; “So much has been done, exclaimed the soul of Frankenstein –

Being a huge proponent of the scientific method and discovery through reason and method, Voltaire would likely be very fascinated with the depiction of the future and scientific advancements in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Voltaire would likely be impressed with the achievements mankind has made in space travel and colonization and be impressed with the general intellectual presence that is displayed in the future. However, Voltaire believed in scientific advancement through scientific method and with separation between church and state. For this reason, I am unsure of how he would interpret scientific advancement through capitalism and private businesses. In 2001: A Space Odyssey, many of the scientific achievements are branded with classic American logos such as “Pan American” suggesting that these advancements were achieved through capitalistic means. This suggests that advancement might have been at great cost to mankind's freedom and might even be highly segregated between classes. This is further suggested by all the characters being predominantly white, addressed as doctors, and all of them speaking with more affluent, almost transatlantic-like accents. To Voltaire, this might be seen as a disappointment as scientific advancement is not really being backed by human curiosity and natural exploration, but rather by capital gain from