Plato, Descartes, and The Matrix
Carolyn Strickland
September 27, 2015
Phil 201-B25 LUO Plato, Descartes and The Matrix
1. Compare and contrast The Matrix with the readings from Plato and Descartes. What are some similarities and differences? After reading Plato’s “The Allegory of the Cave,” Descartes’ “Meditation I of the Things of Which We May Doubt,” and the synopsis of the movie The Matrix, they each challenge us on our perceptions of the truth of reality and our ability to handle learning those truths. All three of these works doubt the reality of the world around us; therefore questioning through our senses if it is materialistic, objective or simply an illusion. In The Matrix movie, the story depicts the human race trapped in a simulated, virtual or false reality that is computer generated. Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave,” the story depicts a group of prisoners bound up in chains, being only able to perceive reality from the shadows of figures on the walls as they presented. Socrates said, “Then in every way such prisoners would deem reality to be nothing else than the shadows of the artificial object.” (Plato) In Descartes’ Meditation, he questions our ability to know that the world is not a
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Proverbs 20:12 reads, “Ears that hear and eyes that see—we get our basic equipment from God!” (HCSB) Through this biblical perspective, I am confident that everything related to this earthly world is both real and tangible based on how we perceive it through our senses. God not only tells us that He created the world around us along with our senses to perceive it; but our senses can be deceived or mislead, and that while here on Earth our senses are imperfect. Our text sums it up nicely with “While it is true that we can be misled by our senses, it is also true that they give us good information more than not.” (Dew and Foreman, 2014, p.
Thesis: There are many similarities in the Matrix ( Wachowski, Andy, and Lana Wachowski 1999 ), The Allegory of the Cave ( Plato ) and Meditation I of The Things of Which We May Doubt ( Decartes, 1641 ). It appears as you take a close look at the Matrix that it is a retelling of “The Allegory of the Cave” with elements of “Meditation I of the Things of Which We May Doubt” in it as well.
The Matrix, Plato’s, The Republic, and Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy, 1641 were somewhat similar as the individuals described in these stories, were existing in a world where deception encompassed
Plato, an Ancient Greek and highly esteemed philosopher, is best known for his text, The Republic. More specifically, though, it is his “Allegory of the Cave” in Book VII of this text that draws most scholars to him. This specific allegory has been used by writers for hundreds of years, including Frederick Douglass. In his work, “Narrative of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by Himself”, Douglass takes his own personal journey from slavery to freedom and applies it to the pre-existing form that Plato created in his allegory. The parallels between these two texts are uncanny and it does not take much for the reader to see that Douglass’ narrative is much more than the physical journey he describes - that he is in fact escaping from the cave that Plato once illustrated.
What if one were living through life completely bound and facing a reality that doesn't even exist? The prisoners in Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" are blind from true reality as well as the people in the movie The Matrix. They are given false images and they accept what their senses are telling them. They believe what they are experiencing is not all that really exists. Plato, the ancient Greek philosopher wrote "The Allegory of the Cave," to explain the process of enlightenment and what true reality may be. In the movie The Matrix, Neo (the main character) was born into a world of illusions called the Matrix.
Deception is the foundational issue prevalent in The Matrix, Plato’s allegory of the cave, and Rene Descartes meditations. In each of these excerpts the goal of answering the question of what is real and how to uncover the truth is essential. Another question that arises throughout all three excerpts is whether or not the individuals will be able to handle the truth when it is finally learnt. In The Matrix Morpheus reveals to Neo that the life he had previously accepted as an absolute reality is really a virtual reality that is manipulated by a computer which is essentially controlling the mind of every individual as they lie unconscious connected to this
Imagine living through life completely bound and facing a reality that doesn’t even exist. The prisoners in Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” are blind from true reality as well as the people in the movie “The Matrix” written and directed by the Wachowski brothers. They are given false images and they accept what their senses are telling them, and they believe what they are experiencing is all that really exists. Plato the ancient Greek philosopher wrote “The Allegory of the Cave”, to explain the process of enlightenment and what true reality may be. In the movie “The Matrix”, Neo (the main character) was born into a world of illusions called the matrix. His true reality is being controlled by the puppet- handlers called the machines who
People seem to think that everything that happens to them everyday is real. The question is, though, “What is real?”. Is everything you see everyday really real or is it fake? We might see fantasies that other people or machines have created for us. Maybe we are the ones that are not enlightened yet. Numerous essays and films have been produced on this subject. One essay is “The Allegory of the Cave” written by Plato in 360 B.C. Also, the movie The Matrix was filmed in 1999. Even though many differences can be drawn between “The Allegory of the Cave” and The Matrix, there are many similarities as well.
In the movie The Matrix we find a character by the name of Neo and his struggle adapting to the truth...to reality. This story is closely similar to an ancient Greek text written by Plato called "The Allegory of the Cave." Now both stories are different but the ideas are basically the same. Both Stories have key points that can be analyzed and related to one another almost exactly. There is no doubt that The Matrix was based off Greek philosophy. The idea of freeing your mind or soul as even stated in "The Allegory of the Cave" is a well known idea connecting to Greek philosophy. The Matrix is more futuristic and scientific than "The Cave" but it's the same Idea. Neo is
In the ‘The Allegory of the Cave’, Plato uses a philosophical situation to help us as the reader to examine our perception of life by what is around us. Plato uses such an abstract situation to show that we can mistake the information that we gain due to our position in a situation for truth.
What is Philosophy? Well, by conventional definition, Philosophy is the rational investigation of the truths and principles of being, knowledge, or conduct. This, while providing a contextual definition of the word philosophy, just scratches the surface of its actual meaning. In this essay we will attempt to answer “What is Philosophy?” by discussing the works of Plato and Rene Descartes. First, we begin by summarizing and comparing the theme of their works for similarities so as to better form a definition. In order to begin answering the question, “What is Philosophy?” we must comprehend each author’s method, themes, and goals throughout their works.
The Matrix brings a famous theory of philosophy to Hollywood, whether or not our knowledge of reality is true. This theory has been talked about by many philosophers, in reading the synopsis’s from two of these philosophers, Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” and Descartes “Meditation I of the Things of Which We May Doubt”, you can see the similarities and differences to the Matrix. In each of these theories they are seeking to know if our reality is real, or if an outside force for is manipulating it as long as they have lived. In Plato’s cave the manipulator would be the people containing the prisoners, only showing them shadows upon the wall.
When the film The Matrix debuted in 1999, it was an instant box office success that captivated many viewers. However throughout the featured famed actors, costumes, special effects and fight scenes, many viewers failed to notice the philosophical issues. Plato and Descartes, just like the characters in the movie are faced and driven to extreme measures to understand the world around them. They are compelled to seek knowledge in understanding what is real, evaluating the mind-body problem, and are left wondering if there is any good. These philosophical features of the movie have raised questions and have made it an interesting film to watch. While many viewers can agree that The Matrix is highly action packed, not all can truly appreciate
The philosophical thought is that the mind and body are two separate things; with one being able to exist without the other has caused much discussion and debate among philosophers and theologians over the years. René Descartes and Plato, two well-known philosophers, argue that people have a mind or soul, which is somehow connected with the body, but the mind or soul can exist independently from our body. Descartes introduces the mind-body argument while Plato presents the soul-body argument. Although the arguments differ in some ways, Descartes and Plato also have similar opinions on the issue. As a person of faith, there is some difficulty in explaining to a non-believer that when a person dies, the soul does not perish with the body. While siding with Descartes and his belief in a perfect God, this essay seeks to review the issues of dualism and meditation, through the eyes of Descartes and Plato.
The Allegory of the Cave, also know as The Analogy of the Cave, Plato's Cave or Parable of the Cave is presented by the Greek philosopher Plato in his work “The Republic “ as a theory concerning the perceptions of human kind and compares the effects of education to the lack of education on our observations. The passage is written as dialogue between Plato’s brother Glaucon and his teacher Socrates.
Reason, aside from knowledge, tends to be the resonating factor in both the works of Plato and Descartes. Through reason we are able to use questioning (Plato) and doubt (Descartes) to train our line of thinking. The main theme that they both share is the consistent application of the use of reason to better define our questions or doubts. In defining what is philosophy, these common