Essay Comparing The Cave And The Matrix
The comparisons between the three stories are that each has a question as to what is real/reality. The Cave by Plato and The Matrix are similar in their story line. The two differ in that Neo was beginning to feel that there was something that was missing in his life, a feeling that something wasn’t quite right. The prisoner in Plato’s story had no question, no reservation as to what his life was to be day in and day out until a different scenario was presented to him. Much like Neo, the prisoner was presented another truth or another world other than what he knew to be the truth. The prisoner and Neo were shown another side to life. The prisoner was allowed to stay in the other reality contrasted with Neo’s need to fight his current reality and be able to choose which one he would live within.
Comparing these two with Descartes “The Things of Which we May Doubt” the likeness lies with the questioning of another reality. Descartes however, is not given an option of another reality. He is questioning if his current surroundings and his senses are truly honest with his being and how we are able to prove what is real and what is not real. According to our lecture by Dr. Foreman, the movie the Matrix is a Hollywood version of Descartes’ “Evil Demon Hypothesis” also known as the Brain in the Vat. …show more content…
The outstanding similarity between these three allegories is not just what is reality but how one manages once the truth is ascertained.
The prisoner in Plato’s story remains in the brightness of the sun, not to return to his imprisonment. Neo chooses to rebel against the Matrix and not embrace Cypher’s “ignorance is bliss”. (Wachowski , 1999) Descartes is convinced that he has a grasp of his reality, “I think, therefore I am”. (Morris, 1999, p.63) What gives the skeptic cause for concern in any of these scenarios is that of his experience being a farce or worse yet, does it even matter whether it is real or
not?
Dr. Foreman said it best with regard to skepticism and Descartes. Descartes questions his senses, his reasoning ability, and his dreaming. As a skeptic, we have to draw the line somewhere or else we will “pretty much doubt away all our knowledge of the world” (Foreman, 2012).
Why would anyone want to live as Cypher (from The Matrix) inferred? His ignorance is bliss campaign is just another form of burying your head in the sand. I continue to question Cypher’s ignorance is bliss along with the moral question of does it even matter that these patients are not living within a real reality.
How can we know that we live within a real world? How do we know that we are not caught up in a cave or in a matrix? First, I go to those who I find myself surrounded by. We are within the same setting, under the same roof. However, some of us are cold, some feel hot, others feel the temperature within the room is just right. We collectively are experiencing a bright, sunny day. No one is denying that the sun is shining. Some of my colleagues wish for cooler temperatures, or rain for their garden, but there is no denying that we are having a likened experience. It is our perception of our environment that may be slightly different but the experience is kindred enough that our reality is a proven, tried and true, fact. I know that George Washington was the first president of the United States because of dependable history books that I read when I was younger. Is it possible that we are living in a matrix? Anything is possible, however it is highly improbable that our reality is not real.
Contemplating skepticism this past week has broadened how I view my surroundings, the books I read and the movies I choose to watch. I continue to research these questions and hope that my grasp of the fundamentals of philosophy will become evident. I continue to be a work in progress.
REFERENCES
Descartes, R. Meditation I of the Things of Which We May Doubt. Meditations on First Philosophy.
Dew, J. K., & Foreman, M. (2014). How do we know?: an introduction to epistemology. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
Foreman, M. (2012). Skepticism. Retrieved July 24, 2014, from http://learn.liberty.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-3335524-dt-content-rid-21102365_1/xid-21102365_1
Morris, T. V. (1999). Philosophy for dummies. New York, NY: Wiley.
Plato. The Allegory of the Cave. The Republic, Book VII.
Wachowski, Andy, and Wachowski, Lana. The Matrix. Directed by Andy Wachowski and Lana Wachowski. Los Angeles: Warner Bros. Pictures, 1999.
Comparing these two with Descartes “The Things of Which we May Doubt” the likeness lies with the questioning of another reality. Descartes however, is not given an option of another reality. He is questioning if his current surroundings and his senses are truly honest with his being and how we are able to prove what is real and what is not real. According to our lecture by Dr. Foreman, the movie the Matrix is a Hollywood version of Descartes’ “Evil Demon Hypothesis” also known as the Brain in the Vat. …show more content…
The outstanding similarity between these three allegories is not just what is reality but how one manages once the truth is ascertained.
The prisoner in Plato’s story remains in the brightness of the sun, not to return to his imprisonment. Neo chooses to rebel against the Matrix and not embrace Cypher’s “ignorance is bliss”. (Wachowski , 1999) Descartes is convinced that he has a grasp of his reality, “I think, therefore I am”. (Morris, 1999, p.63) What gives the skeptic cause for concern in any of these scenarios is that of his experience being a farce or worse yet, does it even matter whether it is real or
not?
Dr. Foreman said it best with regard to skepticism and Descartes. Descartes questions his senses, his reasoning ability, and his dreaming. As a skeptic, we have to draw the line somewhere or else we will “pretty much doubt away all our knowledge of the world” (Foreman, 2012).
Why would anyone want to live as Cypher (from The Matrix) inferred? His ignorance is bliss campaign is just another form of burying your head in the sand. I continue to question Cypher’s ignorance is bliss along with the moral question of does it even matter that these patients are not living within a real reality.
How can we know that we live within a real world? How do we know that we are not caught up in a cave or in a matrix? First, I go to those who I find myself surrounded by. We are within the same setting, under the same roof. However, some of us are cold, some feel hot, others feel the temperature within the room is just right. We collectively are experiencing a bright, sunny day. No one is denying that the sun is shining. Some of my colleagues wish for cooler temperatures, or rain for their garden, but there is no denying that we are having a likened experience. It is our perception of our environment that may be slightly different but the experience is kindred enough that our reality is a proven, tried and true, fact. I know that George Washington was the first president of the United States because of dependable history books that I read when I was younger. Is it possible that we are living in a matrix? Anything is possible, however it is highly improbable that our reality is not real.
Contemplating skepticism this past week has broadened how I view my surroundings, the books I read and the movies I choose to watch. I continue to research these questions and hope that my grasp of the fundamentals of philosophy will become evident. I continue to be a work in progress.
REFERENCES
Descartes, R. Meditation I of the Things of Which We May Doubt. Meditations on First Philosophy.
Dew, J. K., & Foreman, M. (2014). How do we know?: an introduction to epistemology. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
Foreman, M. (2012). Skepticism. Retrieved July 24, 2014, from http://learn.liberty.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-3335524-dt-content-rid-21102365_1/xid-21102365_1
Morris, T. V. (1999). Philosophy for dummies. New York, NY: Wiley.
Plato. The Allegory of the Cave. The Republic, Book VII.
Wachowski, Andy, and Wachowski, Lana. The Matrix. Directed by Andy Wachowski and Lana Wachowski. Los Angeles: Warner Bros. Pictures, 1999.