The Matrix: Plato's Allegory Of The Cave

Analysis Paper: The Matrix
The Matrix is a science fiction film produced in the 1999’s by the Wachowski Brothers that revolves around the idea reality is not what it seems to be. The movie is essentially about machines that have enslaved the human population, using people for means of bioenergy; that being body heat and electrical activity. The main protagonist is the character of Neo, a computer programmer, who finds himself continuously concerned about the idea that his world isn’t all he thinks it to be. What Neo doesn’t know is his world, reality, life is a type of simulated “dream world” created by The Matrix. To the public The Matrix may just appear to simply be another film complete with sensational effects, seat gripping suspense
Plato was a Greek philosopher, a former student of Socrates and also taught another famous philosopher who was named Aristotle. In Plato’s Allegory of The Cave, he tended to focus upon the idea that the world is not what is seems. The world in this point of view is extremely similar to the shadows that dance along the walls of the cave in his writing. Plato believed we cannot see the world for what it truly is and that it is merely a shadow of what we believe exists. In his belief of Theory of Forms, Plato defines something as “truly real” not based off external perceptions but intellectually uncovering the true form which can only be achieved intellectually. Things around us are less than real forms in this sense because they are simply the “visible world” and are not the true form. In Plato’s Allegory of The Cave, the individuals assume that the shadows dancing on the wall are the “true forms”. They believe that what they are seeing is reality, the true form of the object, when really it is simply an illusion of the truth. Plato argued reality was comprised of two types of worlds this being known as metaphysics. The visible world, images of physical objects and the knowable world, which is forms. Plato debated we cannot know the true form, the true reality of something unless we stop looking at the appearance or images. The Matrix does well to incorporate this
A bit similar to Plato’s Allegory of The Cave in terms that individuals can’t rely on senses to determine if what around them is real, for all we know a type of evil demon could be behind everything pulling strings undetected. Descartes argued that instead of using senses to uncover the truth of the world, that one must use our mind instead. Our own perceptions are skewed, they are unreliable and should not be trusted; much like what Plato argues. Yet Descartes believed one must use our mental capability to acquire knowledge of the world. In order to gain knowledge one first must doubt everything possible and only from doubting can truth be gained. If one doubts anything can be doubted then that which is left is true knowledge. In the movie, many of the “awakened” individuals hold great power while in The Matrix because they have the knowledge that nothing around them is real. When Morpheus takes Neo into the training areas of The Matrix, he asks Neo to clear a jump between to skyscrapers. Morpheus, having acquired the knowledge that this reality isn’t real, makes the 100 foot jump effortlessly. Neo, on the other hand, still believes in the existence of the things around him and doesn’t even make it half way. Descartes relates to this in terms of we should always doubt things because they just might not even exist. Towards the end of the movie do we finally see Neo at his