Human Development

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses "2001:A Space Odyssey" by Arthur C. Clarke and "Lost Horizon" by James Hilton. The writer explains that while the genre of these two books are different, each author works a similar idea - human development - from different points of view.

From the Paper:

"In the larger sense, though, the main character is not any individual at all but Mankind, and the novel is the story of human beings from the time of their origin as human beings to the next step in the evolutionary cycle leading past homo sapiens to whatever designation would be given to the superior beings to come. Everything in the story centers on the development of the human race for a higher purpose, and this development is guided by unknown and unidentified extraterrestrials, never seen but implied and symbolized by the monolith appearing first among the prehumans of the African plain, then on the moon, and finally floating in space and serving as the stargate through which Frank Bowman passes on his epic journey, leading to the appearance of the Starchild: "With eyes that already held more than human intentness, the baby stared into the depths of the crystal monolith, seeing--but not yet understanding--the mysteries that lay beyond" (Clarke 233). The people of Shangri-La also seem to represent an advance in evolution, for they have attained great longevity and live more contented lives, as Chang explains when he tells Conway that "the process of retarding age would begin, and if successful, might give Conway half a century or so at the apparent age of forty" (Hilton 182)."

More papers on Human Development:

• Research Paper # 122447 : "Human Development"
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• Research Paper # 104809 : "Psychological Theories of Human Development"
• Essay # 28786 : "Race and Human Development"

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