2001: A Space Odyssey

In Clarke's narrative landscape, select humans and scientists rely on space travel and artificial intelligence technology to learn about the world around them. Published in 1968, Clarke's novel predates the first Moon landing by a year and is speculative towards the existence of artificial intelligence technology and space colonization. However, the novel also incorporates searing social commentary—a hallmark of science fiction writing—on nuclear warfare and nuclear destruction. 

By 1968, the United States and the U.S.S.R were firmly engaged in both the Space Race and the nuclear arms race. The Cold War period saw a large increase in the amount of existing nuclear weapons, as well as the development of mechanical technology used for building rockets and satellites. 2001: A Space Odyssey, though it takes place in the then far-off future of the early 2000s, explores a tension between Earth's nuclear powers as they debate whether or not to detonate weapons capable of killing large portions of the human population. Distrust between nations and pressure to advance technology for advancement's sake causes immense anxiety for those on Earth—and for those exploring its surrounding solar system. The novel also comments on humans' use of artificial intelligence (a new field of study in the 1960s), raising moral questions of technological boundaries and the value of humanity. Given its fictional narrative but firm allusions to then-contemporary society, 2001: A Space Odyssey remains a leader in the science fiction genre.