Answer 2 of the
following…
1. What does Clarke mean
by the remark in Chapter 13 that “every person of real intelligence—everyone
who looked an inch beyond his nose—would find his life, his values, his
philosophy, subtly changed”? What is the
importance of TMA -1 to Floyd as well as to the world at large? What does a three million year-old buried rock really mean?
2. Why might space travel
be a futuristic equivalent of prehistoric man learning to use weapons and form
speech? What makes this a new chapter in our development and evolution? Likewise, how might this also relate to the metaphor of "Pandora's Box" which Clarke invokes when Floyd contemplates the mysteries of the Monolith?
3. In many ways, Dave
Bowman is our “everyman,” the protagonist who represents human values we can
relate to in an alien, futuristic landscape.
What kind of person is he, and why might Clarke see him as a futuristic
equivalent to Moon-Watcher (the character from the first few chapters)?
4. In Chapter 16, we learn about HAL and his ability to think and speak as a human, skills he picked up "during the fleeting weeks of his electronic childhood" (118). If HAL is basically a sped-up human, who matures and evolves in a matter of hours, what might the danger be of treating him as a fully-fledged sixth member of the crew--and in some ways, the most important member of the crew?
Rocky Moore
ReplyDelete1. I think that quote demonstrates the new thought processes that may come from this discovery once everyone hears about it. I mean your daily thought process would alter forever and the beliefs you once held about our lives on earth will be significantly different knowing there are other beings out there. Ultimately that is what the importance the monolith carries for both the people on Earth and Floyd, the evidence of life other than that on Earth in the universe and the stars beyond. I mean if this were to happen and there was solid proof that another life form exists and even left something behind to communicate, imagine the shock wave of philosophical debate to come after that. It seems we have left that alone because it seems to be a long shot or complete fantasy to us but in the book that is not the case and Floyd understands this.
2. I think the comparison to Pandora's Box is the complete and perfect metaphor for stories like this involving humans and our ever rapid evolution. We always want to push the limits, continue progressing even without trying like the prehistoric man, which has not always led to the best result. These negative outcomes include things such as war, disease being spread and wiping out millions, nuclear warheads being dropped on one another, etc. The comparison holds true for these space explorers and this monolith they discovered. Our innate nature pushes us to want to know more as we ignore the simple fact that these things or 'aliens' the explorers are trying to find may actually be evil or hostile or that all in all the discovery and continued research can lead to destruction in some senses. I have not read the ending yet so I am interested in what happens next.
1. I think that he means anyone who will not take this lightly, anyone who understands what this really means. I think that one of the first reactions to finding out that there is a different intelligent species in space would be sheer panic. People would panic. The human race likes to be on top of things and in control of things. If we don't even know what the species is or exactly how intelligent it is, then we don't know enough to remain on top of everything. Not only this, your beliefs would have to change somewhat. If we were to discover that there was a different intelligent species than ourselves, then we would be forced to accept the fact that there always has been, especially in this case since the monolith is three million years old. This means that if you've always believed that humans were the only animals capable of intelligent thought processes, well, you can't believe that anymore. This three million year old rock means that there is definitley more to be discovered and to be studied.
ReplyDelete2. I like the Pandora's box metaphor. It means that the humans don't really know what they are getting themselves into. They want to know what is in the rock and what it could represent without taking into concern that it could be dangerous. If they open the box, it might not be good things that come out of it. Space adventuring, like in this novel, is a huge advance for human kind. It could be considered a developmental milestone in evolution, just learning to use weapons was. This is a step that allows them to learn more and be more. When the ape-men learned to use weapons, they learned more about the world than they had previously known. They learned that they did not have to be the prey, instead they could be the hunters. Similarly, space travel opens up a world or possibilities as well, like the discovery of the monolith.
Cora-lee Snow
2. Space travel to the modern day society is very much like the situation of prehistoric man learning to use tools. In one aspect we could use this technology to be good, or the technology could be used for darker purposes. Space travel is a huge change for our society. If we were able to go to space freely and commercially, we would be placing ourselves in a new age of time. For instance, think about the invention of the airplane. It all started as a 2 man recreational flying machine. Now we use them to transport goods or people across the globe. We must not forget the darker side of airplanes. The same technology used help invent fighter jets we have used in multiple conflicts and wars. Space travel is very much like opening Pandora's Box because we don't know the outcomes it could produce. It could help boost creating a living environment in space for human life which also may open Pandora's Box.
ReplyDelete4. The danger lies in putting confidence with complete control of the ship. If Hal malfunctions, which he somewhat does, the crew might not be able to ever contact earth or fix a problem regarding the ship because they leaned on a robot for the safety of the journey. Hal is by far the most important member of the crew specifically because he holds the crew life in the metaphorical palm of his hand. If he wanted to he could decide he wants to self destruct the ship and everyone dies. That was kind of a harsh explanation but it is true. The danger with trusting machinery over our brains could be the devalue of the human species. Jobs could be lost which would lead to poor economies and this usually means crime rates go up. Pretty soon we would all be living in a terrible and difficult world of more lower class and a few upper class that would practically control the world. Technology is a great thing if used correctly, but once we use it to think for us, this is where we find danger.
1. I think it’s funny that the government tries hiding the monolith from common knowledge until they find out more about it because yup, that’s exactly what our government and probably any other world government would do today. Plus it cracked me up when they were having Bowman spin the incident with the first signs of trouble with the AE 35 piece. I think the biggest implication would be that we’re not alone which would be an even bigger revelation today than almost fifty years ago because our scientists are so insistent that no other life has been found in the universe. With this it would carry the devastating knowledge that humans aren’t at the top of the food chain after all. Floyd or Bowman contemplated space travel at some point and how 3 mil. years ago something was traveling through space and time while we were either nonexistent in our current form or very primitive like the creatures in the beginning of the novel. So there is something more intelligent than us out there which is very disconcerting. I think religious people too would experience some whiplash because humans are supposed to made in God’s image and hold dominion over the earth, and if there is something else out there, what is there relationship with God? What is our relationship with them?
ReplyDelete4. HAL is creepy, and we haven’t really even interacted with it yet. It’s mostly been part of the background of the operations on the ship that Bowman and Poole aren’t taking care of. So it’s this robot type thing with a human brain that was manufactured then it was taught just as humans were taught and matured at an accelerated rate, right? Even though this thing is capable of processing and responding to the same things that humans are, it does a better job because it is capable of processing more and at a quicker rate. I like how this is compared with Bowman who also seems to be really smart with his multiple degrees and vast extent of knowledge yet doesn’t hold a candle to HAL. But HAL is in a way human even though it’s also like computer programming, but I think the human link makes him not infallible and subject to error, curiosity, judgement, and other traits that can lead us into trouble. One thing that worries me too is that experience is a part of maturity for humans, and HAL is still very young and doesn’t seem to have any real life experience yet.
Ashley Bean
ReplyDelete1. Even in our day and age, some people believe that there is other life out there, but to actually have it confirmed would definitely change everyone's beliefs. Religion would be questioned, schools challenged, political power would now turn its focus to space. Everything would change. The next question is where are they, and what are they. And to think that they would come back, since after all why would a big rock be buried except to hide it and come back for it later? And most likely, they would be more intelligent and more powerful than humans.
4. HAL would and will quickly outgrow every human alive. He will become "smarter" than his crew, and will take things into his own metaphorical hands. He knows what's best, or so he thinks. He has been programmed to adapt, and take charge when necessary. The notion of "necessary" will most likely change, since as other people has stated, he lacks life experience. He may gain endless knowledge, but no wisdom. Soon he will believe that humans are deficient take control of the mission entirely.
Sarah Bolitho
ReplyDelete3. Bowman is intelligent, curious, and forward thinking, as is Moon-Watcher (relatively). He is eager to push the boundaries of human capabilities. He has dedicated years of his life to an exploration project. He is willing to take risks in order to promote the survival of his species.
4. HAL, being vastly more intelligent than the crew, will likely calculate risks with far greater speed and foresight. This could lead him to take matters into his own hands when his opinions (can he have “opinions”?) are at odds with the others. It is suggested that he is withholding knowledge of which the crew is unaware. As Kim said, HAL is creepy; REALLY creepy. Something about him is unsettling.
2. I feel like the idea of space travel introduces us to the idea that we are more insignificant and ignorant of more than we realize we are. So, by space travel and exploration we are expanding and accommodating what we know into a new reality. At the same time, in gaining that knowledge we must change, because we become enlightened. In opening Pandora's box, we became aware of suffering and hardship. In opening this metaphorical box, we must be prepared for what it contains to affect our lives in a way we had not previously considered. There is no way to know what his knowledge will be.
ReplyDelete4. I think the danger in treating HAL as the most important member of the crew, or as a fully fledged crew member is that he is on an entirely different level than the humans he is tasked with helping. He has more "experience" in a way, and has evolved to a point that he is not concerned with the same things that the human being are. He has a more global perspective, so I doubt that he will be concerned with the small things that occur. Rather, he is interested in the larger outcome. He doesn't make errors in the way we think of errors, so to treat him like a person is to gravely misrepresent his way of processing information and acting on it.