THOSE of us who have had the privilege to see that astonishing Stanley Kubrick film saw it coming. Arguably the greatest sci-fi film ever made, 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) dealt with apparently staple science fiction themes—evolution, technology, artificial intelligence (AI), and extraterrestrial life. But Kubrick was no Cold War pushover. Instead, he assembled his severe dislike for campy cheapness and tacky thrills, science writer Arthur C Clarke, spectacular special effects, minimal dialogues, surreal imagery, and the waltzes of Johan and Richard Strauss. The resultant kinetic energy and meditative power of the film is still unrivalled but what is genuinely lingering is how much Clarke and Kubrick were philosophically concerned about the limit of human intelligence. And here intelligence meant both—that we are cognisant of ourselves; and we are able to decipher similar intelligence elsewhere. That pivotal scene where astronaut Dave switches off HAL to dull its desire for control of the ship is in some ways the metaphor for the predicament that humanity in general, and cinema in particular, faces in the present.
Should we be insurgent and turn off the seduction of futuristic technology; or should we grudgingly hand it over to machines?
Denne historien er fra January 01, 2024-utgaven av Outlook.
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Denne historien er fra January 01, 2024-utgaven av Outlook.
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Trump's White House 'Waapsi'
Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election may very well mean an end to democracy in the near future
IMT Ghaziabad hosted its Annual Convocation Ceremony for the Class of 2024
Shri Suresh Narayanan, Chairman Managing Director of Nestlé India Limited, congratulated and motivated graduates at IMT Ghaziabad's Convocation 2024
Identity and 'Infiltrators'
The Jharkhand Assembly election has emerged as a high-stakes political contest, with the battle for power intensifying between key players in the state.
Beyond Deadlines
Bibek Debroy could engage with even those who were not aligned with his politics or economics
Portraying Absence
Exhibits at a group art show in Kolkata examine existence in the absence
Of Rivers, Jungles and Mountains
In Adivasi poetry, everything breathes, everything is alive and nothing is inferior to humans
Hemant Versus Himanta
Himanta Biswa Sarma brings his hate bandwagon to Jharkhand to rattle Hemant Soren’s tribal identity politics
A Smouldering Wasteland
As Jharkhand goes to the polls, people living in and around Jharia coalfield have just one request for the administration—a life free from smoke, fear and danger for their children
Search for a Narrative
By demanding a separate Sarna Code for the tribals, Hemant Soren has offered the larger issue of tribal identity before the voters
The Historic Bonhomie
While the BJP Is trying to invoke the trope of Bangladeshi infiltrators”, the ground reality paints a different picture pertaining to the historical significance of Muslim-Adivasi camaraderie
