KUBRICK - he comes off as brilliant as far as I'm concerned, but makes human mistakes ... which may explain why he was reluctant to do interviews ... for some reason I find it interesting that while Clark was born approximately 10 years before Kubrick, he died almost 10 years after him. I guess I luv how it reminds us of the random nature of the Universe.
His greatest insights:
-machines are more predictable than people --- ironically he failed at predicting technical progress, but he succeeded at predicting societies future when he made "a clockwork orange". It turns out he was better at predicting people than technologies ... while 2001 was the better future, we opted for a future that makes Alex DeLarge happy.
-we might become a race of sensually stultified zombies plugged into pleasure machines ... our bodies and minds will experience atrophy when we give up being explorers in favor of pleasure seekers
-up till now perception on the deepest level has been detrimental to our evolution ... but at this stage of evolution we have an obligation to spend more time engaged in introspection
-"are you guilty of misanthropy?" --- "good god no, you don't stop being concerned with man because you recognize his essential absurdities and frailties and pretensions. I believe in mans potential for progress."
- no one will mourn our passing ... but that doesn't imply we shouldn't try to create meaning in our lives by answering the profound questions our minds can conjure.
- the universe is not hostile ... it is indifferent
-HOWEVER VAST THE DARKNESS, WE MUST PROVIDE OUR OWN LIGHT
Where he got it wrong ... imho.
1) aliens would be benevolent - he bases this on his own predilections toward a sentient ant that wanted to talk to him
2) "no one knows what is waiting for us in the universe" ... this seemingly contradicts his prediction about benevolent aliens
3) "death cured by 2001 ... maybe" ... well we didn't cure it enough to keep him from dying before 2001
4) "there is little doubt the whole concept of leisure will be improved ... leisure time will be increased and improved" true and not true ... we have more things to do in our leisure time but less leisure time in which to do them ... we spend much of our time managing subscriptions and trying to reduce government, religious and HOA imposed burdens ... my maternal & paternal grandparents each raised 3 children, had much fewer labor-saving conveniences, attended to their religious and social/neighborly obligations ... and still had free time to play bridge with their friends once a week ... many of those friends being from their high school years. In short, my grandparents were much more connected to their community ... my parents less so ... and myself even less than my parents ... this has not been good for our evolution.
5) "I don't do so called consciousness-expanding drugs ... I believe drugs are of more use to the audience than the artist" ... he forgets those two groups switch places on a regular basis
6) - our existence as a species can have genuine meaning and fulfillment ... yes and no, on a personal level this is true, if you decide to work to defeat humankind's irrational fear and irrational aggression for the rest of your life you will be adding meaning and fulfillment to your life
... but as a useful tool for the universe, this is not true, while we may add to the success of other creatures, we will take away from the success of an equal number of creatures, diminishing the meaning and fulfillment of their lives. The idea that meaning and fulfillment only applies to homo sapiens is hubris at its ugliest.
