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 …show more content…
We are blinded, only see shadows, hear echoes, and the world around us is a mere shadow of what truly exists “Hence, the only way to believe oneself to have knowledge is to be simpleminded; those sophisticated enough to see the relativity of everything, but still not wise enough to turn their faces toward the light, can only despair, or delight, in the lack of real knowledge” (BS). In relation to his beliefs are the ideas of the famous Rene Descartes. He doubted the certainty of the external world and came to the conclusion that our senses can’t be trusted. Additionally, Descartes ' stated that you can’t trust your senses because there has been times when you are dreaming or imagining what you have experienced rather than it being real. Certainly it becomes questionable whether in fact we can believe if any of our principles are true. In The Matrix, Neo finds out the truth and answer to his question. The Matrix is just an illusion of the world around and the humans are plugged in by a computer program. Those who are plugged in have never truly saw the world for what is. Similar to Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, the humans are prisoners forced to see shadows which are copies of things in the real world. When Neo is finally confronted with the truth he can’t imagine the thought of ever going back. Instead he plans on exposing the truth by revealing how the world they live in truly looks. The mind-problem is by far one of
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.
What is reality? What is known? These questions are constantly being reviewed keeping people anxiously waiting for the real answer. The Matrix is a popular movie dealing with many philosophical ideas from, Gods, Beauty, Reality, and existence. The Matrix deals with an intelligent “computer hacker,” Neo, who questions many things such as reality as he lives two different lives day vs. night. With that being said, Neo starts to ponder how does he know what is real, true, or all knowing. As humans we face this challenge everyday, how do we actually “know?” We know because of our senses, evidence, observations, assumption, and Epistemology.
The film ‘The Matrix’ showcases many philosophical perspectives, such as the question of ‘what is reality?’ .Throughout the film character Neo asks the question what is reality, after finding out about the matrix. To help understand Neos’ question we can look at the theory of Plato’s Allegory of the Cave which explores the idea that the real world
Iakovos Vasiliou, an associate professor of philosophy in Brooklyn College, once said “The only thing we know for certain is that nothing is certain.” This is the main philosophy behind both Plato’s “The Allegory of the Cave”, and the renowned sci-fi movie “The Matrix.” Both works deal with escaping a false reality while unveiling a real one. In Plato’s “The Allegory of the Cave”, the escaped prisoner synonymous to the character Neo in “The Matrix”, exhibiting a shared theme behind both plots. Socrates suggest that with effort, all that is beautiful and right can become visible or apparent to the prisoner, where as in The Matrix, Neo is called to a similar fate, under the premise that the zenith of existence for both the prisoner and Neo is enlightenment.
Imagine living in a world of false impressions, of course how would know that they were living in a world of lies. They would probably believe that every action performed by their senses were true. Plato’s Simile of the Cave sheds light on this this idea which is also adapted by the 1999 movie by Andy Wachowski & Lana Wachowski, ‘The Matrix.’ Both works have allegorical meanings which explains how people are trapped by some sort of limitations they have which could also serve as a deterrent to their further understanding. This movie ‘The Matrix’ shares a common philosophical basis with Plato’s Simile of the Cave.
The synopsis: The Matrix, the excerpts from The Allegory of the Cave and Meditation I of the Things of Which We May Doubt. The writing makes a person reevaluate what is real, or are we part of a bigger system that control our every action to be moved like chess pieces to judge our reactions or; are we dreaming. The three writing are plausible but shows skepticism and justification. Reality is based on sense perception. (Dew & Foreman p.41)
Both Plato’s Allegory of the Cave and The Matrix deal with determining which world is perceived as actuality and which is really reality. It is only if the prisoners are shown the figures that make up the shadows and sees the colors that make up the real world, can you change their perception of reality. Neo seeing reality for what it really is showed him that he was living an illusion. Neo takes it upon himself to save humanity from widespread ignorance and acceptance of a false reality.
If what we see, hear and feel are what shapes our perception of the world around us, then when one questions those things they in turn question their very existence. Such thought provoking ideas, in which one is forced to ponder upon what they perceive to be reality is seen in both the Matrix and Plato’s famous ‘Allegory of the Cave.’ But in the case of said works, those who inhabit the fictional universes are lead to believe their perspective on the nature of reality is the sole possible viewpoint, much like individuals in real life. Although unlike humanity, these individuals are later shown that their past reality was nothing more than a cruel facade. In the case of the Matrix, It tried to implant such thought provoking messages into the
Throughout “The Matrix”, a 1999 film written and directed by the Wachowski brothers, the audience is endlessly questioned on “what is real” and if we are really in a “computer simulation created by artificial intelligence (AI)”. In “The Matrix”, we learn that Earth, as we know it, is nothing more than an elaborate facade created by advanced cyber-intelligence for the purpose of harvesting humans to biochemically power themselves in some way. In doing so, the film adapts a wide variety of new and old philosophies concerning the truth behind reality, namely in Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave”, human philosophy, and Judeo-Christian teachings.
Imagine your whole life you have been a slave, born into bondage. In a prison, that you were unaware existed in your present ideal of reality. A prison for your mind, bonded by illusions to control you from the truth. The truth of the matter being the reality, in which you believe to live in, does not exist. Just as the prisoners of Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” are blind from true reality in the same way the human population in the movie “The Matrix” written by the Wachowski brothers.
Some of the deepest symbolic scenes of any film with a battle between symbolism and duality, at a time where man feared its own technology in the year 1999’s fear of Y2K. The Wachowkis Brother’s usage of such a time was attempted to introduce the new millennia to a new style of film. Wachowkis’s The Matrix (1999), set in a future where reality as perceived by most humans is actually control by sentient machines to subdue the population of humans, while using the human bodies, and their electrical activity as their energy source. Characters and props are use in the film to give it an identity of symbolism. Camera angles and philosophical dialogue drives the understanding of duality between man and machine.
The Matrix share’s similar views on Rene Descartes thought of reality, this becomes more clear when Morpheus asks Neo “Have you ever had a dream that was so real? What if you were unable to wake from that dream? How would you know the difference between the real world and the dream?” (31:27-31:47) This suggests much like Rene Descartes idea that it is unknown if we are truly awake or if we are simply dreaming a never-ending
In this essay I shall discuss how the film, 'The Matrix', engages in a form of cinematic philosophy. Specifically, I will discuss how the film can be seen as making an objection to the position held by Sidgwick (1907), who asserts that, positive states of consciousness, or, pleasure, is ultimately the only thing inherently valuable, which in turn becomes the basis of utilitarian ethics. The Matrix should be considered as the cinematic adaptation of Robert Nozick's (1974) 'experience machine' thought experiment, which the film-makers bring to life, developing it into a narrative which pulls heavily on our moral emotions. However, although the film-makers skilfully elicit the appropriate emotional responses from the viewer to ensure successful
Is it what appears in front of us or is it something else beyond what our mind can process directly. Plato talks about the this in his Allegory of the Cave. In the allegory, Plato uses the metaphor of prisoners who have never been outside of a cave being shown shadows that look like animals and other forms of life. If the prisoners are given the same choice that Morpheus presents to Neo, to stay in the cave or leave it most would choose to stay in the reality they are familiar with. I like Neo would opt for the unpopular path of leaving the matrix because once I was shown the possibility that what was presented to me was a fallacy I would no longer be able to accept the world around me as fact.
More than just an ordinary movie, ‘The Matrix’ is a representation of many philosophical ideas. Through the movie, the character especially Neo and Morpheus gave us the hints to all this ideas.