Realities Two Way Street

Socrates’ point is that, once we understand what reality is, it is the job of the knowledgeable to advance the ignorant ‘out of the cave’ and into true awareness. Of course, that those who still are uninformed will resist, since, after all, the cave is all they’ve ever known.

The process of apprehending true knowledge is a task unfit for those who cannot overcome the concepts that the truth is associated with. This task of discovering knowledge tests an individual and their dedication to the process. However, this process is grueling and does not always yield the expected or desired result. According to philosophers, such as Socrates and Plato, humans are born with innate knowledge that becomes accessible through reasoning and life experiences. Plato’s The Allegory of the Cave describes of a group of people, in a cave, that have been shielded from society for their entire lives and were given an alternate and limited education. One man is forced out of the cave and into the light of the real world, where he

The movie Fahrenheit 451 provides a highly circumstantial evidence, for the phrase 'Ignorance is bliss.' The famous quote from the film Fahrenheit 451; 'If you do not wish a house to set up, hide the nails and woods,' meaning no one can build a house without nails and woods. How does this quote justify Ignorance is bliss? The quote states that if societies do not require people to have the intelligence, then all the wisdom-bearing materials

We as humans tend to have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. We look for knowledge about everybody and everything that surrounds us from our day-to-day life. Sadly though, we must accept that in the grand scheme of life we (as a society) tend to put pleasure above our quest for knowledge. The pursuit of knowledge tends to take time and energy, two things we call invaluable, and it also shows us things that might depress us. Contrastingly, ignorance takes no time and energy. Also, (as the common saying goes) ignorance is bliss. It keeps ugly truths away from us. But that is no reason to forsake knowledge for ignorance. In the early 1900’s, two books were published that would eventually be referred to the pinnacle of classical literature.

“A world without rules and controls, without borders or boundaries. A world where anything is possible,” (The Matrix). These words spoken at the conclusion of the Wachowski Brothers’ 1999 film, The Matrix, by the main character Neo represent a deeper meaning and a connection to ancient literature many people viewing the film might not realize. This quote relates to a work of literature more than two millennia old, the narrative by Plato called The Allegory of the Cave. Much like how Neo must endure the stages of enlightenment to rise from the blissful ignorance controlled by the matrix in the movie, in The Allegory of the Cave Plato depicts the enlightenment of prisoners who lived in a cave for all of their lives and

As anthropologist and author Wade Davis is doing one of his many studies he comes to the conclusion that “the world in which [man] are living is just one model of reality…”. When living a life of ignorance man may think that he knows what truth is, oblivious to the fact that the life he live is false. That the life he lives is a model of reality used to blind him from the true reality, he is unable to gain truth unless he wants to become enlightened for himself. This belief can be better perceived through Plato and the Wachowski siblings. In “The Allegory of the Cave” and The Matrix Plato and the Wachowski siblings’ depict that in order for man to become enlightened he must have an innate desire to learn the truth, thus he will go through

On understanding knowledge and sense, the allegory of the cave represents itself as a metaphor for the intellectual development of human beings. Through the consideration of the influences perceptions have on people, both positive and negative, the allegory of the cave takes us through the process of an individual becoming enlightened and thereby understanding what is good and what is perceived to be real. In fact, Plato describes the process of enlightenment as though an individual is released from the chains that had initially bonded them within the confinements of the cave. Through the process of enlightenment, it’s as though the individual is forced to experience the life outside the cave. However, Plato describes this process as a difficult time for such an individual and his endeavors to enlighten his fellow prisoners, “…and if they can get hold of this

Additionally, The Matrix reveals an entire human race has been taken over by a computer system controlling minds and reality leading us to believe that which is not real. (Synopsis, The Matrix,

At the end of the Cave Allegory the man is happy he has been freed (Plato, n.d), while in The Matrix Neo is glad he knows the truth but Cypher wishes he had never learned the truth (Synopsis The Matrix, n.d.). The key difference in these endings is that the man from the cave finds a world more wonderful than he can imagine (Plato, n.d.), while Neo and Cypher find a harsh reality (Synopsis The Matrix, n.d.). As to whether ignorance can truly be bliss, the only bliss gained from ignorance is false. A false sense of security is not true security, and can be shattered at any moment. While on occasion the false belief can be small or inconsequential enough to not cause problems, like not being told that there is a lady bug under the bed, at other times the information is crucial.

Knowledge is awareness or familiarity gained by experience of a fact or situation. Whereas ignorance is lack of knowledge or information. According to Plato in the story “The Allegory of the Cave” ignorance is much more common than knowledge itself. People are too comfortable in their ignorance that when they are introduced to knowledge they discard it. He believes that the “truth would literally [be] nothing but the shadows of the images.”(3). Shadows are the ignorance of the world. How they only believe what is right in front of them never questioning or wanting more. If the a prisoner in the cave were introduced to “suddenly stand up and turn his neck round and walk and look towards the light, he will suffer sharp pains”(3). The pains would

The Matrix takes place in a dystopian future where reality is actually a simulated reality called the Matrix. It was created by sentient machines so they can use humans as an energy source. Thomas Anderson is a computer programmer and also a hacker known as “Neo”. He feels that there is something wrong with the world around him. Trinity contacts him telling him about a man maned Morpheus; he exists and so does the Matrix. However, the Agents are preventing Neo from meeting him. Neo eventually is able to meet Morpheus and he gives Neo a choice. Either Neo say in ignorant bliss (blue pill) or learn about reality (red pill). Neo takes the red pill and when he wakes up, he is in a liquid filled pod and connected by cables coming from his body leading

The Matrix was made in 1999, is an American-Australian science fiction movie that was written and directed by The Wachowskis. The movie was made to portray a not so good future where humans actually see it as a simulated reality. The Matrix was created by a sentimental machine that would reduce the human population while the body heats heat and electricity are used as an energy source. Computer programmer Neo, learns the truth and is drawn into a rebellion against the machines, involves other humans who have been freed from the so called dream world. The matrix is known for promoting a visual effect of what is known as “bullet time”. The Matrix opens with a shot of a computer screen, where a phone call is being traced and the viewers can overhear the voices on the phone lines talking about whether or not they have found ‘the one’.

One should always step out of their comfort zone even if the outcome does not look pleasant. Ignorance is not the way of life, accepting reality is what makes a person progress in life. Everyone should always do critical thinking and accept the truth. When one is living in ignorance, they do not expand their ability to learn and be aware of reality. However, when a person accepts that they do not have the answers to everything and investigate, their minds and eyes are open to a new world. In addition, their world becomes a place of adventure, journeys, and challenges. For example, when the prisoner step out of the cave, he was first hurt when the sun rays hit his eyes, but then he could see clearly the real objects and surroundings, and wanted

We as a culture have become entirely numb to the beauty that comes with living a simple and observant life. The saying that ignorance is bliss does come from very real sentiment, some of which our dynamic society could benefit from. Since the birth of capitalism and enlightenment, which were well enough intentioned at the start, mankind has isolated itself from life as much as it has tried to control and understand it. In a superficial mission to become closer to the earth and better enjoy life, we have lost its true meaning. Instead of simply taking delight in the wonders of the world, we have mathematized its essence and extracted the mystery that makes the human experience so rewarding. Although the knowledge gained over the past 400 years has been profitable and constructive, with all the progress comes a greater evil. Congruent to Vico’s concerns with this new found urgency for advancement, I find that the knowledge that we hold dear and fight so passionately for brings such pain and anger. One must wonder if we are better off living peacefully in the dark than scrambling through chaos grasping for fleeting

Haptic systems that provide physical feedback or allow a fully articulated presence within an environment are clumsy and can cause problems during use. The type of hardware that even simple head-mounted displays use can break the sense of immersion as adjustments to the device need to be made and components such as wires and headphones turn into obstacles to natural movement.Socially, some of the disadvantages of using virtual reality as entertainment have already started to surface, even without an experience that fully removes a person from his or her surrounding stimuli. One issue is social isolation, in which the user of virtual reality relies more on interactions that take place in a virtual world than on experiences in the real world. This lack of true, physical interaction has the potential to create incorrect associations that are not part of real social settings. The isolation could eventually cause depression, disassociation and other conditions, if it is severe