The Growth of Artificial Intelligence and Its Relevance to the Matrix

Neil Postman, a firm protester against technology, begins his argument in The Judgement of Thamus with a parable about a king rejecting an inventor who incorporates writing into their society; the king, Thamus, is steadfast in his belief that writing’s future burdens will outweigh its immediate success. Postman argues that technological discoveries change the way we think, manipulating our culture and our understanding of the world. He states that the primary difference between computers and humans is the ability to self-learn - but what happens when the human race conquers that barrier with technology? Artificial Intelligence is often referred to as the "field I would most like to be in" by researchers in other sciences (semanticscholar.org). It is not only prominent in subfields like reasoning and logic, but also in precise tasks like playing chess, proving theorems, and diagnosing diseases. The short-term benefits of Artificial Intelligence depend on who controls it, while the long-term benefits of Artificial Intelligence depend on if we can control it at all. When considering synthetic intelligence, I believe our outlook must be cautiously positive. As Postman suggests, the development of technology has significant advantages and disadvantages. Futurists believe AI will redefine the human world by enabling software’s ability to self-program and by minimizing the time it takes to solve a challenge. However, the safety issues and current jobs that will be replaced by

“I think, therefore I am,” is a famous quote by René Descartes who is a French philosopher, mathematician and scientist. Moreover, she is known for making the Cartesian coordinate system. The quote centers on the idea to prove of someone’s existence and to know whether or not any of the physical objects or surroundings are an aspect of reality. The meaning of the quote was to provide reassurance for Descartes that he did, in fact, exist as a result of his ability to think; otherwise he would not.. Similarly, based on this ideal of existence, many popular mainstream films, such as “The Matrix,” by Andy and Lana Wachowski, and “Inception,” by Christopher Nolan were produced. The mission objective is to determine what reality is and whether

We are now in the "information age" where we demand to be informed, yet are told in such a way that we think we know so much, but in fact we are becoming increasingly ignorant.

Great philosophers such as Plato, Socrates and Descartes developed theories thousands of years ago which changed the thought processes of many. These theories today are still influencing the lives of others. The Matrix, a very well-known movie released in 1999, retelling Plato’s theory, questioned the existence of reality and /or what we perceive as reality. The Matrix, Plato’s ‘Allegory of the Cave’ and Descartes ‘Meditation I’, all have similar views on reality, illusion and truth.

Upon completion of reading the synopsis for The Matrix, Meditations on First Philosophy by Rene Descartes and Plato’s classic work The Republic, I notice that there are various similar views, as well as many contrasting perspectives throughout each of the works. Each piece examines the existence in which they are living, as well as the soundness of our sense perceptions. One of the most evident corresponding views in all three works is the arising question of ‘do we undoubtedly understand the world in which we live or is it a fraudulent reality?’ Although each work has corresponding views, there are also differences. Each author has a dissimilar outlook on the way that the mind is recognized.

This essay will discuss The Matrix, from synopsis of the following; The Republic by Plato, depicting the famous cave allegory, and Meditations on First Philosophy by Descartes, offering doubt that some senses are accurate. By examining these two readings, and the movie, it will allow the author to show some comparisons, and to show how they are also different as this essay indicates the world is very real.

Daniel Madrigal Phil 201 –B17 September 29, 2015 Essay Assignment Plato, Descartes & The Matrix The Matrix is a film that alters a number of new, as well as tells about the truth behind reality. It parallels Plato’s storyline from The Republic. There are many differences, as well as many similarities I have found from The Matrix as well as The Republic by Plato and Mediations on First Philosophy by Rene Descartes. They all ask the same question of ‘what is real?

René Descartes was a French philosopher responsible for many ideas and theories still used in the philosophical world today. He earned the nickname “Father of modern philosophy” for his work. One of his most in depth and lasting legacies is his “mind-body dualism” thesis also known as the Cartesian theory of mind.

This essay is about all the philosophical content in the film “The Matrix”. It will focus on three main philosophical points that I found while watching and researching this movie. Such as appearance vs reality, the relationship between mind and body, also moral philosophy with the question “Are we free?”. Overall The Matrix as a lot of connections to philosophy that we will talk about in this essay. We are gonna in fact see how far the rabbit hole goes.

Life and human existence give rise to a practically endless list of philosophical questions. Among the plethora of abstract and complexity are found questions regarding the nature of our existence and the world in which surrounds us: “What can we truly know? How can we accurately depict reality? Can we know absolutely anything for sure?” Such questions lead us down roads that twist and turn remaining inevitably convoluted as these answers are not easy to find. Despite the maze of existence that peaks the curiosity of mankind at some point in our lives there is plenty of interesting insight that can be found through our thought patterns simply by looking at the work of Plato, Descartes and the modern sci-fi thriller The Matrix. In the works of Plato and Descartes entitled The Republic and Meditations on First Philosophy, each literary piece (respectively) presents fascinating thoughts on how mankind interprets reality and how we’ve come to know the things that we know (if we can know anything at all). These two literary works strangely mirror the thoughts behind the plot of the movie The Matrix. Examining all three of these together (the two excerpts and the movie) reveals to us some very insightful similarities in conjunction with the differences in exploring further questions about the world and how we experience it.

The Matrix’s Philosophy The purpose of the Matrix is to make its watchers question what reality truly is, and if human beings themselves are real or not. Throughout the movie, philosophical topics and questions have been reintroduced, such as free vs determinism, true knowledge, etc. It’s main focus, however, was on philosophical realism. The main character, Neo, was a representation of free will, and how he and the rebels defy the matrix and its structure.

The Matrix: A Bringing Together of Philosophical Viewpoints In today’s world, it is common for Eastern religion and philosophies to be found as the base of any major work. The principles can be found in famous films, such as Star Wars, and in modern-day religion, such as Christianity. In a film entitled The Matrix, there are multiple instances in which ancient Greek and eastern philosophical ideas are used. Greek philosopher Aristotle, the Buddhist philosophy, and philosophy of Hinduism can all be discovered in various instances throughout the course of the film and could be considered to be a part of a foundation for the movie.

"The Matrix" (1999) is a Sci-Fi action film created by the "Wachowski Brothers" to present life in an absent-minded dream world based on our solar system and a so-called real world which is set on a planet known as 'Zion'. Artificial Intelligence is the use of Computer System(s) to imitate tasks which human beings undertake. "The Matrix" (1999) depicts Artificial Intelligence in a unique sort of way; representing it in a flexible manner, showing what it can do to society. Generally speaking; this essay will show how the use of warnings to intimidate someone to get what you want, the conflicts between human and machine and the way to act upon to get the results you want is all presented by Artificial Intelligence in "the Matrix".

Of course, Descartes isn’t the only philosopher whose ideas can be compared to those in the Matrix. The Matrix provokes the question of “What is real?” which relates to Berkeley’s Theory of Immaterialism. A connection found in the film between the Berkeley’s Theory and The Matrix was when Neo and Morpheus visit the Oracle. As Neo peruses the Oracle’s apartment, he walks into the family room and sees a skinny boy bending a spoon. As Neo watches the Spoon Boy, the Spoon Boy tells Neo “Do no try and bend the spoon. That’s impossible. Instead… only try to realize the truth… there is no spoon… then you will see that it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself.” This quote is connected with Berkeley’s Theory because the theory states that there are no objects, but they are instead perceptions of the mind. All objects, from chairs to a glass of water, solely exist in the mind, according to Immaterialism which fits the Spoon Boy’s statement that “realize the truth… there is no spoon”. The spoon in the Matrix doesn’t exist. It cannot be changed. However, when Neo’s perception of the spoon changes, it bends essentially changing and making the impossible possible. Further drawing similarity to Immaterialism. Berkeley’s theory also connects to the Matrix when Cypher has a meeting with

Emma M. Myers PHIL101 B002 Spr 18 29 April 2018 The Matrix and Rene Descartes Throughout this essay, I am going to break down and philosophically evaluate The Matrix. While doing so, I am going to identify parts of skepticism and the mind-body problems that can be detected while watching this science fiction action film. This film has proposed many questions that have been philosophized by Rene Descartes and Plato; I will use these ideas that they have offered to understand how Neo discovers reality and the relationship of living or life through virtual reality.