Recently I had the immense pleasure of seeing the remastered 70mm version of “2001: A Space Odyssey” on a huge screen in a magnificent New York City theater. This was my first viewing of Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece since I became familiar with the transhumanist movement and the concept of a technological Singularity.

Previously, I’d never known quite what to make of the dreamlike, possibly hallucinatory sequence that comprises the final portion of the film. But this time, for the first time, it made a lot of sense to me. The bizarre psychedelic trip that introduces it can be seen to symbolize the dizzying technological ascent we are soon to experience as we approach the Spike. The surreal aging and eventual rebirth of astronaut Dave Bowman can be viewed as a representation of the time when humans fully merge with machines and break away from all physical, spatial, and biological limits.

As far as I know, Kubrick never claimed this interpretation. Of course, back in 1968 the concept was hardly well known. However, Alan Turing, John Von Neumann, Richard Feynman and a few others had already started speculating in this direction, and it is certainly possible that Arthur C. Clarke (who worked closely with Kubrick in planning the film) was aware of their ideas.

At any rate, I would highly recommend catching this spectacular work of art on the big screen if you get the chance, and when you do, think Singularity!

Mike Treder