Comparing Plato And Descartes 'The Matrix, The Allegory Of The Cave'

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. We will then move on to develop our conclusion and hopefully gain a better understanding of “What is Philosophy?”

In the Allegory of the Cave there are chained prisoners in cave who can only stare at the cave wall in front of them. At the back there is a long entrance with a staircase the width of the cave and a fire burning in the distance. They see only shadows projected in front of them from a raised platform and hear an echo that they attribute to what they observe. They talk about and name the shadows of objects they see before them. To them the truth are the shadows. Then one day one of the prisoners is released. He is told that what he saw before was an illusion. Once he is outside it takes a while for his eyes to adjust to the sun. First he observed the shadows of thing then their reflection and finally the actual object. Remembering his previous state he goes back to the cave and tries to explain that everything is an illusion but they laugh at him and think he’s crazy. They believe it best not to ascend and they choose to remain as they are. The cave represented opinion. The shadows that are cast on to the wall represented physical objects. The prisoners represented the common people (Welles).

Unable to know any better, people’s blindness to the truth about their existence throughout the ages has been relative to the questioning of reality. We search but are unable to the see the truth through the illusion that the world before us has portrayed. One might ask, how do we know what is real and what is simply illusion brought by our subjective view of the world? But when attempting to understand the nature of our existence, about why we are here, the complexities of life often make it difficult to interpret this subject. The film The Matrix centers on this same concept that the known world is an illusion. The movies core theme of reality and illusion is definite to the humans understanding of what the true meaning of life is. Ones

Neo’s first reality was a shadow world. His body lived inside a box, and like millions of other humans, and he lived in a world of shadows cast on the wall by puppeteers. In essence, the humans in the Matrix are prisoners chained to a wall. A former prisoner himself, Neo has been released from his bonds and allowed to step beyond the stone wall and the fire of Plato’s allegorical cave, where he could see true reality. He becomes empowered by his own knowledge about the thought experiment he had been subjected

The Republic is considered to be one of Plato’s most storied legacies. Plato recorded many different philosophical ideals in his writings. Addressing a wide variety of topics from justice in book one, to knowledge, enlightenment, and the senses as he does in book seven. In his seventh book, when discussing the concept of knowledge, he is virtually addressing the cliché “seeing is believing”, while attempting to validate the roots of our knowledge. By his use of philosophical themes, Plato is able to further his points on enlightenment, knowledge, and education. In this allegory, the depictions of humans as they are chained, their only knowledge of the world is what is seen inside the cave. Plato considers what would happen to people

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

Watching the film ‘The Matrix,’ it is natural to question whether the world we live in is real or not. Neo, the hero, comes to know that the world he lives in is not real thanks to Morpheus. In the future world, the computer rules humans, who are, in turn, born to grow in an incubator. Further, human cerebral nerves are connected to a computer networks, which implies men cannot help living in another incubator till death although they cannot recognize they live in the incubator. Plato’s allegory of the cave is analogous to the story line found in ‘The Matrix.’ People live in a cave, looking at their shadows reflected on the cave wall. They never realize they are in a cave. Plato’s allegory of the cave assumes key words leading the story

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

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

The most prevalent issue in the Matrix, Plato and Descartes is Deception. Philosophers have tussled with the issue of realizing and knowing what is real and also how humans will react to the truth, when they learn it. The Matrix, Plato and Descartes have similar point of view. Both stories describe unconscious humans lying in a huge machine keeping them alive and at the same time another computer feeding them with some sort of dream or illusion. In addition, they were being deluded with their virtual lives, which means “They experience being born, growing up, and getting jobs, growing old, and dying through their virtual lives in a computer simulation called "the Matrix."(Synopsis: The Matrix). In contrast, The Matrix and Plato's The Allegory of the cave show they had valid explanations or prove to ratify their beliefs.

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.

After reading the synopsis of The Matrix as well as the readings of both Descartes and Plato, various parallels were discovered which lead to the age old question; what is real? Philosophy along with religion and science have worked to solve the fundamental question and in The Matrix, Morpheus presents the question to Neo by asking, “Have you ever had a dream, Neo that you were so sure it was real? What if you were unable to wake from that dream--how would you know the difference between the dream world and the real world?” (The Matrix) In both The Matrix and Allegory of the Cave, a resemblance in philosophical themes and metaphysical presuppositions exist which regard the very nature of reality.

Plato- the father of idealism has an enormous impact on the entire philosophy, and even on different cultures. Those who remember the movie "the Matrix" can see the similarity to Plato's myth of the cave. For him, idea is eternal, unchanging, it does not depend on conditions of space and time. Ideas have their own existence in a particular world, and things exist only insofar as they reflect one or another idea as one or the other idea they present. In relation to sensitive things, ideas are the same, and their reason and purpose, strive for the sensitive creatures in the world. According to Plato, the world is by nature dual: it varies visible world of mutable objects and the invisible world of ideas. The world of ideas represents true being.

Plato once said that, “Ignorance [is] the root and stem of all evil”. Ignorance is the cause of everything that is wrong and bad in the world since people are unable to see the truth. If people start breaking free from ignorance, mankind will become happier and more transparent. In the short story, “Allegory of The Cave” by Plato and The Matrix by the Wachowskis, they portray the idea that in order to gain enlightenment, one must break free from ignorance; which opens himself to knowledge; this new truth must then be shared with others for the good of mankind.

In contemporary society acceptance of illusion is commonplace. The majority of the world’s populace lives in a world of virtual reality as an escape from the truths of reality. Their senses are no longer their own since they have been brainwashed by the media (agents) instructing them as to what they should wear, what they should buy and where they should buy, how they should feel, etcetera. Liberal academia takes it up a notch by indoctrinating students with communistic and socialistic ideology. It is not surprising that sci-fi dystopian films such as the Matrix have been embraced by viewers of diverse age groups. The purpose of this dissertation is based on philosophical, psychological, sociological, and metaphysical dialogue in regards to a comparison of an