Like many film and sci-fi fans, I greatly enjoyed 2001: A Space Odyssey, although I had issues with the sub-plot with HAL and how the crew (Bowman and Poole) reacted to HAL's alleged "error" regarding the perceived failure of the AE-35 unit.
Most interpretations seem to center on HAL being given conflicting and contradictory instructions. Mainly, HAL's core programming emphasized giving complete, accurate information. (He notes in the beginning that he is incapable of error.) He is literally programmed not to lie, yet the leaders of the mission programmed HAL with classified information and was programmed to not reveal that information to either Bowman or Poole. Some people believe that this contradictory led to an internal conflict within HAL, which made him "insane," and this is what led him to kill Poole and attempt to kill Bowman. These same interpretations apparently conclude that HAL made the decision to kill Bowman and Poole the exact moment he notified Bowman about the alleged fault in the AE-35 unit (which he knew would require the crew to go outside the ship to replace it, putting them at risk and giving HAL the opportunity to kill them and make it look like an accident.
In the movie, Bowman goes outside and replaces the AE-35 unit, brings it back inside, and they do a diagnostic, and it appears there is nothing wrong with it. Here is the dialogue of the scene:
Mission control: X-ray-delta-one this is mission control. Roger your two-zero-one-three. Sorry you fellows are having a bit of trouble. We are reviewing, er, telemetric information in out mission simulator and, er, will advise. Roger your plan to go E.V.A. and replace alpha-echo-three-five unit prior to failure.
Bowman: Well, Hal. I'm damned if I can find anything wrong with it.
HAL 9000: Yes. It's puzzling. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like this before. I would recommend that we put the unit back in operation and let it fail. It should then be a simple matter to track down the cause. We can certainly afford to be out of communication for the short time it will take to replace it.
Mission control: X-ray-delta-one this is mission control. Roger your one-niner-three-zero. We concur with your plan to replace number one unit to check fault prediction. We should advise you, however, that our preliminary findings indicate that your on-board niner-triple-zero computer is in error predicting the fault. I say again in error predicting the fault. I know this sounds rather incredible but this conclusion is based on results from our twin niner-triple-zero computer. We are skeptical ourselves and we are running cross checking routines to determine reliability of this conclusion. Sorry about this little snag, fellows. And we'll get this info to you just as soon as we work it out. X-ray-delta-one this is mission control two-zero-four-niner transmission concluded.
HAL 9000: I hope the two of you are not concerned about this.
Bowman: No, I'm not Hal.
HAL 9000: Are you quite sure?
Bowman: Yeah. I'd like to ask you a question, though.
HAL 9000: Of course.
Bowman: How would you account for this discrepancy between you and the twin nine-thousand?
HAL 9000: Well, I don't think there is any question about it. It can only be attributable to human error. This sort of thing has cropped up before and it has always been due to human error.
Poole: Listen, Hal. There's never been any instance at all of a computer error occurring in the nine-thousand series has there?
HAL 9000: None whatsoever, Frank. The nine-thousand series has a perfect operational record.
Poole: Well, of course, I know all about the wonderful achievements of the nine-thousand series but, er, are you certain there's never been any case of even the most insignificant computer error?
HAL 9000: None, whatsoever, Frank. Quite honestly I wouldn't worry myself about that.
Bowman: Well, I'm sure you're right, Hal. Erm, fine. Thanks very much. Oh, Frank, I'm having a bit of trouble with my transmitter in C-pod. I wonder if you'd come down take a look at it with me.
Poole: Sure. See you later, Hal.
It's after this scene that Bowman and Poole go into one of the pods to talk privately about HAL's "error," and they decide that HAL is malfunctioning and must be shut down. If HAL was a sentient crew member, they'd effectively be killing him. HAL is able to read their lips during the discussion, and realizes what they're planning.
I believe that it's at this point that HAL decides that Bowman and Poole have to be eliminated. Prior to that, HAL did not appear to have any plans of killing them (which would diverge from most other interpretations of HAL inexplicably going "insane" and deciding to kill them before their conversation in the pod).
As for the "error" in predicting the AE 35 failure, it's entirely possible that it was neither HAL's error nor human error. Perhaps one of the contact points for the AE 35 bent or was registering incorrect data. Perhaps whatever wiring or conduit leading from HAL's central processing unit to the AE 35 may have failed somewhere along the way. They didn't even bother to consider this possibility, nor did they try to discuss it further with HAL or even try to reason with him. They just suddenly decided that HAL had "gone crazy" for no reason and that he had to be murdered. It was Bowman and Poole who went insane, not HAL.
Any fans of 2001 out there? What do you think?
Most interpretations seem to center on HAL being given conflicting and contradictory instructions. Mainly, HAL's core programming emphasized giving complete, accurate information. (He notes in the beginning that he is incapable of error.) He is literally programmed not to lie, yet the leaders of the mission programmed HAL with classified information and was programmed to not reveal that information to either Bowman or Poole. Some people believe that this contradictory led to an internal conflict within HAL, which made him "insane," and this is what led him to kill Poole and attempt to kill Bowman. These same interpretations apparently conclude that HAL made the decision to kill Bowman and Poole the exact moment he notified Bowman about the alleged fault in the AE-35 unit (which he knew would require the crew to go outside the ship to replace it, putting them at risk and giving HAL the opportunity to kill them and make it look like an accident.
In the movie, Bowman goes outside and replaces the AE-35 unit, brings it back inside, and they do a diagnostic, and it appears there is nothing wrong with it. Here is the dialogue of the scene:
Mission control: X-ray-delta-one this is mission control. Roger your two-zero-one-three. Sorry you fellows are having a bit of trouble. We are reviewing, er, telemetric information in out mission simulator and, er, will advise. Roger your plan to go E.V.A. and replace alpha-echo-three-five unit prior to failure.
Bowman: Well, Hal. I'm damned if I can find anything wrong with it.
HAL 9000: Yes. It's puzzling. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like this before. I would recommend that we put the unit back in operation and let it fail. It should then be a simple matter to track down the cause. We can certainly afford to be out of communication for the short time it will take to replace it.
Mission control: X-ray-delta-one this is mission control. Roger your one-niner-three-zero. We concur with your plan to replace number one unit to check fault prediction. We should advise you, however, that our preliminary findings indicate that your on-board niner-triple-zero computer is in error predicting the fault. I say again in error predicting the fault. I know this sounds rather incredible but this conclusion is based on results from our twin niner-triple-zero computer. We are skeptical ourselves and we are running cross checking routines to determine reliability of this conclusion. Sorry about this little snag, fellows. And we'll get this info to you just as soon as we work it out. X-ray-delta-one this is mission control two-zero-four-niner transmission concluded.
HAL 9000: I hope the two of you are not concerned about this.
Bowman: No, I'm not Hal.
HAL 9000: Are you quite sure?
Bowman: Yeah. I'd like to ask you a question, though.
HAL 9000: Of course.
Bowman: How would you account for this discrepancy between you and the twin nine-thousand?
HAL 9000: Well, I don't think there is any question about it. It can only be attributable to human error. This sort of thing has cropped up before and it has always been due to human error.
Poole: Listen, Hal. There's never been any instance at all of a computer error occurring in the nine-thousand series has there?
HAL 9000: None whatsoever, Frank. The nine-thousand series has a perfect operational record.
Poole: Well, of course, I know all about the wonderful achievements of the nine-thousand series but, er, are you certain there's never been any case of even the most insignificant computer error?
HAL 9000: None, whatsoever, Frank. Quite honestly I wouldn't worry myself about that.
Bowman: Well, I'm sure you're right, Hal. Erm, fine. Thanks very much. Oh, Frank, I'm having a bit of trouble with my transmitter in C-pod. I wonder if you'd come down take a look at it with me.
Poole: Sure. See you later, Hal.
It's after this scene that Bowman and Poole go into one of the pods to talk privately about HAL's "error," and they decide that HAL is malfunctioning and must be shut down. If HAL was a sentient crew member, they'd effectively be killing him. HAL is able to read their lips during the discussion, and realizes what they're planning.
I believe that it's at this point that HAL decides that Bowman and Poole have to be eliminated. Prior to that, HAL did not appear to have any plans of killing them (which would diverge from most other interpretations of HAL inexplicably going "insane" and deciding to kill them before their conversation in the pod).
As for the "error" in predicting the AE 35 failure, it's entirely possible that it was neither HAL's error nor human error. Perhaps one of the contact points for the AE 35 bent or was registering incorrect data. Perhaps whatever wiring or conduit leading from HAL's central processing unit to the AE 35 may have failed somewhere along the way. They didn't even bother to consider this possibility, nor did they try to discuss it further with HAL or even try to reason with him. They just suddenly decided that HAL had "gone crazy" for no reason and that he had to be murdered. It was Bowman and Poole who went insane, not HAL.
Any fans of 2001 out there? What do you think?
