Technology in Fahrenheit 451 and 2001: A Space Odyssey

The following is an essay I submitted at Purdue University for ENGL 223: Literature and Technology.

Question: First, define technology in its broad sense. Then consider and compare different forms of technology in both this broad and the more conventional sense, in R. Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 and A. Clarke’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. Which forms of technology are shared by both novels and which are most significant to, or missing in, each?

Answer:

Technology is anything that aids in fulfilling a human purpose. Anything that allows humans to go from point A to point B can be “technology”; it is derived from the Greek word “techne” which means art or technique. Technology tends to have a lot of moving components and without one aspect of it, it would not function. An unorthodox example of what may be labelled as “technology” is a language.

Language is a technology of communication, and is a sum of nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc. which may be in turn thought of as its own technology working in tandem with the larger machine that is language. If one of these cogs were to be taken out, the entire system of gears would fall apart: a language cannot function without the existence of all these parts. The use of all tools along with the capacity of thought is what makes us human as we exist today before technology, we could not be called humans.

This is obviously not a typical definition of technology, by popular consensus, it is thought of as an electronic device such as a computer, a phone, a ceiling fan, or another electric appliance of some sort. Both these definitions can be seen at play in Fahrenheit 451 and 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Fahrenheit 451 is about a conformist to society who breaks free from the shackles cast upon him in favor of free thinking. We follow our main character as he slowly uncovers the truth behind the world he lives in, and he eventually joins a rebel group dead set on bringing an age of literature back to the world after nuclear fallout. The theme of technology, in the broad and typical sense, respectively, is present in both Fahrenheit 451 and 2001: A Space Odyssey. In Fahrenheit 451, the primary theme is that of censorship, and the restriction of knowledge and free thinking. As stated earlier, the capacity to think along with our use of tools is what makes us human, and both the tools themselves and our capacity to think can be branded a technology. More typical examples of technology are also present in Fahrenheit 451 in way of the flamethrowers and the robotic dogs which accompany the firemen in the story.

2001: A Space Odyssey is about a voyage into space with the intention of contacting intelligent alien life, a goal hidden from the primary crew of the ship. The ship’s AI (artificial intelligence) HAL, however, is aware of the true goal. It feels guilty for hiding this, and this results in errors in its code. Eventually, HAL goes rogue, and it kills all but one of the crew. The last survivor ends up falling into a “star gate”, and is slowly turned into an omnipotent being, after which he saves Earth from nuclear devastation with a thought.

 As is evident, 2001: A Space Odyssey is a science-fiction story with many instances of “technology” in the widespread use of the word. It bears artificial intelligence, space travel, bubbles of habitation on other celestial bodies and more. It fits the typical mold of science-fiction, whereas Fahrenheit 451 is dystopian literature. 2001: A Space Odyssey deals with themes regarding the peril of advancing the typical notion of technology too far without fully understanding it, represented via HAL going rogue and killing those he was meant to watch over. It clearly displays what would happen if technology got out of our hands.

The novel’s existence itself also demonstrates the ability as literature to be a form of technology. Science-fiction has long been a way to explore the possibilities the future holds and at the time the novel was written space programs were in its early stages, and man had yet to set foot on the moon. The novel, maybe jumping the gun, demonstrates a full habitat on the moon, as of writing this essay we aren’t there yet but it does allow some looks into the possible future in store for mankind.

Both novels contain examples of technology, as stated above, the ones that are most shared between each other are technological advancements, in a typical science-fiction sense. We see robotic and/or artificial intelligence, i.e., HAL and the robotic dogs. We also see other more technologies in the realm of transport i.e., the Discovery and the salamanders. 2001: A Space Odyssey has an incredible abundance of technologies in the traditional sense, complimentary of premise of the story.

Fahrenheit 451, on the other hand is far less reliant on typical technological premises and that allows to adopt the broader definition of technology such as free thinking and the books that are burned. Books are a technology that has allowed people to share, note down and remember information or centuries and is a critical technology in the grand scheme of humanity. Harkening back to a previous point, the capacity of thought can also be thought of as a technology and is intrinsically linked to books or writing in any format. 2001: A Space Odyssey does not have any concepts of technology in its more abstract definition, leaning heavily into the popular consensus of technology. Both stories have strong roots on both ends of the technological spectrum. Fahrenheit 451 sits comfortably at the looser end, adapting technology to fit simple things such as books and thinking itself as well as the typical definition. However, 2001: A Space Odyssey is heavily sat at the other end where most if not all semblances of technology are strictly electrical and/or mechanical innovations.