When the Overlords in Arthur C. Clarke's novel Childhood's End descend upon humanity, humanity is immediately stunned and completely humbled by their scientific and technological prowess. As the Overlords become more active in human society and affairs, their intelligence and sheer ability to easily accomplish every human goal completely humbles humanity. Humans no longer consider themselves the most capable beings on Earth as the Overlords seem to surpass humanity in almost every ability. Upon encountering the Overlords, humanity is forced to recognize not only that they are not the only force in the universe, but that they are inferior in almost every way possible. This recognition of humanity's inferiority allows society to evolve and become the utopia that it is. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The first arrival of the Overlords ends the space race as humans realize they can never achieve the superior space travel that the Overlords possess. The first Overlords arrive when both the Americans and the Germans are trying to make room first, but their arrival with their large and striking ships causes both sides of the race to give up, "...had lost the race. .. not for a few weeks or months that he had feared, but for millennia” (Clarke 7) The character Reinhold immediately recognizes his technological inferiority as his life's work is completely dismantled in a matter of seconds, “the work of one”. life was swept away bring man to the stars and, in the moment of success, the stars... had come to him” (7). Even apart from the recognition of mankind's inferior engineering and science, the arrival of the Overlords forces the humanity to see that it is “no longer alone” (8). This knowledge causes humans to see that they are not the most important beings in the universe and that all their achievements are tiny compared to what other races have achieved. and they can do it. When the Overlords begin to interact with humanity, they all readily recognize the superior intelligence of their new neighbors. Karellen's first address to humanity exudes his pure intelligence, “superlative genius, displaying complete and absolute mastery of human affairs. There could be no doubt that his erudition and virtuosity, his tantalizing glimpse of as yet unexplored knowledge, were deliberately designed to convince humanity that they were in the presence of overwhelming intellectual power” (13). Once humanity recognizes the intellectual superiority of the Overlords, they quickly submit to the hands of their new rulers. Although “local internal governments would continue to retain their powers… supreme decisions have passed into human hands” and few people protest this fact because they know that the Overlord can offer the most intelligent and objective solution to any problem. In this way the Overlords are able to implement policies and assist in building what humans could never achieve on their own: peace and unity among nations. With the end of the war, things like “the Federation of Europe,” which for most was just a dream, become reality, and racial discrimination and animal cruelty have ended (12). Thanks to the superiority of the Overlords and humanity's decision to humble itself before the obviously more powerful race, a "Golden Age" and a worldwide utopia begins. Without any person or country trying to be superior, due to accepting their own inferiority, humans are able to live their own lives”..