Revealing that the monolith is inspired by the theory of Jungian archetypes devised by Carl Jung, this concept is defined by images and themes that derive from the collective unconscious. Jung believed that certain symbols from different cultures are often very similar as they have been developed from archetypes shared by a collective human unconscious.
To me, it always signified the Christian stone tablets (commandments) but this had nothing written on it.
So, all the hominids stared at its smooth, designed, cuboid shape and knew none of their kind could have created it so ........ gods?
I don't like that representation. An only, unique, solitary monolith is what makes a lot of debate.
When you see a lot of them you feel outrageous — javi2541997
Stone age folks had better imagination than Stanley Kubrick - the more relatable a form aliens assume, the easier it is to deliver the message (supposing there is one). — Agent Smith
Is a rectangular, black, 10 feet tall monilith in any way something that would be familiar to pre-sapiens? Very unllikely, and to that extent it's a bad idea. — Agent Smith
2001 was rubbish when I first saw it at around 15 years of age but I began to appreciate it as I got older. — universeness
To the extent that encounters with the monolith has 'made' us into something, the crisis with the AI named HAL show us another collision of the natural with the artificial. — Paine
It seems to me that Brandan Morris, one of my favorite sci fi writers, observed a batch of monoliths on Enceladus some years in our future, They weren't doing much, but they had rescued Frank Poole? the astronaut who HAL9000 had tossed into space--his mental being, anyway.
I thought the monoliths were perfect as aliens: strange, mysterious, other-worldly, potent, awesome (in the original meaning of the word), etc. — Bitter Crank
(If you want to entertain a particularly spooky thought - our society is completely filled with monoliths - computer/telephone/tv screens.) — Tzeentch
Do you know Rob Ager and his YouTube channel Collative Learning? He has a lot of material on Kubrick movies, including 2001 and the meaning of the monolith. — Tzeentch
give it a try — javi2541997
or a silent harbinger from an alien source which seeks to guide humans at key moments. — Tom Storm
The first, on the plains of Africa, is used to improve Moonwatcher's intelligence. The second, in orbit around Jupiter (Saturn in the book) is used to transport Bowman via a worm hole. The third, in the Hotel room, transforms him into a "star child"... — Banno
the moon stuff in your description — Paine
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