Throughout 2001: A Space Odyssey, humans are often confronted by the unknown and incomprehensible. Relative to the world and universe, humans are not only small but short-lived, and there is much that eludes human comprehension purely by virtue of its size or timescale. David Bowman and Frank Poole, for instance, consistently struggle to comprehend the enormity of planets like Jupiter and Saturn; they are simply too large for humans to grasp. Likewise, Moon-Watcher, one of the monolith’s original creations, cannot understand his inability to reach out and touch the moon, comically concluding that he simply needs to climb a taller tree. Even the Star-Child, Bowman’s transcended form, has trouble reconciling himself to his newfound immortality; despite near-infinite knowledge and power, such timescales are still beyond his grasp. In short, no matter how brave or enterprising an individual may be, they are fundamentally limited by their biology, be it their size, lifespan, or other factors.
However, while humans cannot individually hope to transcend their biological limits, the same is not true for humanity collectively. This is exemplified by Heywood Floyd’s present-day fulfillment of Moon-Watcher’s dream of touching the moon. Although impossible within his lifetime, 2,000 years of collective human effort has made Moon-Watcher’s dream a reality, with Heywood traveling there in under a day. The same is true for David Bowman, whose rebirth as the Star-Child propels humanity into its next era: though spearheaded by Bowman, this transformation is not the result of an individual's isolated endeavor but is instead the collective work of countless individuals who have preceded and coexisted with Bowman. In this way, 2001: A Space Odyssey presents a synergistic model of human progress. While individuals may often spearhead great leaps in human achievement, their accomplishments are intricately tied to the collective efforts of humanity at large.
Related Themes from Other Texts
Collaboration vs. Individualism ThemeTracker
Collaboration vs. Individualism Quotes in 2001: A Space Odyssey
With the need for international cooperation more urgent than ever, there were still as many frontiers as in any earlier age. In a million years, the human race had lost few of its aggressive instincts; along symbolic lines visible only to politicians, the thirty-eight nuclear powers watched one another with belligerent anxiety. Among them, they possessed sufficient megatonnage to remove the entire surface crust of the planet. Although there had been—miraculously—no use of atomic weapons, this situation could hardly last forever.
He had made, utterly without incident and in little more than one day, the incredible journey of which men had dreamed for two thousand years. After a normal, routine flight, he had landed on the moon.
Any man who had ever worked in a hardened missile site would have felt at home in Clavius. Here on the Moon were the same arts and hardware of underground living, and of protection against a hostile environment; but here they had been turned to the purposes of peace. After the thousand years, Man had at last found something as exciting as war.
So here, Floyd told himself, is the first generation of the Spaceborn; there would be more of them to come. Though there was sadness in this thought, there was also great hope. When Earth was tamed and tranquil, and perhaps a little tired, there would still be scope for those who loved freedom, for the tough pioneers, the restless adventurers…The time was fast approaching when Earth, like all mothers, must say farewell to her children.
Pandora’s box, thought Floyd, with a sudden sense of foreboding—waiting to be opened by inquisitive Man. And what will he find inside?
Where in God’s name am I? Bowman asked himself; and even as he posed the question, he felt certain that he could never know the answer. It seemed that space had been turned inside out: this was not a place for Man.
Then he waited, marshalling his thoughts and brooding over his still untested powers. For though he was master of the world, he was not quite sure what to do next. But he would think of something.
