Question

How is philosophy portrayed in the film 2001: a space Odyssey?

Answer 1

Note: This response is in UK English, please paste the response to MS Word and you should be able to spot discrepancies easily. You may elaborate the answer based on personal views or your classwork if necessary.

(Answer) Several philosophers until now have held the idea that our life on earth is nothing but a stage in the vastness of existence. Whether this means that there is another stage, after life on earth or that our life is merely a stage in the context of all existence, might vary. Nevertheless, our life is merely a stage.

The film “2001: A Space Odyssey” is a film by Stanley Kubrick and explores the space mission of Bowman and the involvement of a space monolith that has been there since the time of the “ape-man.” This monolith is a part of a story that spans across millions of years and hence serves as a point of reference.

The relativity is used to show the journey of man from primitive stages to extreme advancement and yet, the entire journey is merely a stepping stone in the grand scheme of things. Therefore, the film doesn’t view humanity as a final goal but more like a stage that is bound to transcend into something more.

This film is fairly artistic and therefore open to interpretation. Different viewers have expressed their critique and understanding of the film differently. The journey of the story from the “ape-man” beginning to the moon exploration, up until the journey to Jupiter are different phases that seem to connect the story. The director Kubrick and the writer, Arthur Clarke purposefully left the film open for philosophical and allegorical interpretation.