What Is Cypher's False Reality Of The Matrix
The widely popular science fiction movie, “The Matrix,” directed by the Wachowski brothers deals with a false reality. In this, people are kept in shells as energy sources and plugged into a computer simulation of a world that they believe is real and concrete. The premise is that artificially intelligent machines surpassed the intellect of humans and have risen up against them. Cut off from the sun, their source of energy, they turn to humans as the ultimate renewable source of energy. The story centered on Neo and his quest to learn what, in fact, the Matrix actually was. Eventually a man by the name of Morpheus who was the leader of a group trying to destroy the Matrix invites Neo to take part in a journey to discover the truth. Neo took a pill and was released from the Matrix to discover what the world had become. While in the real world, Neo became part of a group
…show more content…
fighting the reign of these machines and trying to free the human race. Cypher, a member of Morpheus's group, decided he would rather go back to an easier life in the Matrix than keep fighting for this cause. Although initially idealistic, Cypher eventually lost faith in Morpheus and his so-called “The One”. Cypher decided to cooperate with the Agents that act to protect the Matrix, and conspired with them to kill his former crew members. Cypher essentially believed that there was no use in fighting anymore because there was the possibility of never actually winning the battle. Cypher justified his decision, declaring, "Ignorance is bliss" (The Matrix). Although Cypher's statement does have some validity, he ignored all of his duties to himself, his peers, and most importantly, the human race. Cypher clearly made the wrong choice in deciding to abandon "the desert of the real" in favor of an easier lift in the Matrix. Ultimately, he was killed and never returned to the Matrix. His needs to fulfill his duties as a citizen and a revolutionary were not only shown throughout the movie, but also specifically in other works written by great thinkers, such as Plato, about the complexity of reality. Cypher's decision to leave the real world went against the ideas of some of the greatest thinkers to have ever lived. Plato stated in his "Allegory of the Cave," "But if you continue to seek truth, you will eventually be able to handle it better. In fact, you want more! It's true that many people around you now may think you are weird or even a danger to society, but you don't care. Once you've tasted the truth, you won't ever want to go back to being ignorant" (Plato Cave). Cypher took the easy way out; his inability to handle reality was a direct result of his lackluster effort to pursue the greater truth of the Prophecy. Plato's allegory continued to explain the prisoner's unique dilemma, which is also quite similar to Cypher's situation. The prisoner's community survived while living permanently fixated to look at shadows projected by a fire onto a cave wall. The prisoners had no conception of reality; they thought the shadows were real. The cave situation was very similar to the false realities of the Matrix, whose inhabitants sincerely believed that the world they experience is real. The prisoner was unique from his counterparts; he was set free to learn the realities of the world as opposed to the false world of the Matrix. The prisoner eventually came to terms with the new world and realized how misled the other prisoners are. Much like Cypher, the decision to spread the truth troubled the prisoner. Unlike Cypher, however, the prisoner felt a moral obligation to his people and felt that he had a duty return to the cave to tell his counterparts. Plato praised the prisoner's correct moral decision best, stating, "Better to be the poor servant of a poor master, and to endure anything, rather than think as they do and live after their manner" (Plato Cave). Applying this quote to Cypher's situation, Plato and other sensible thinkers would have argued that it is better to experience actual reality and develop real emotions outside the Matrix than to live ignorantly and never experience real life within the simulated reality of the Matrix. Cypher also went against Plato’s theory of forms in deciding to go back to the Matrix. It stated, "…the 'reality' that we see directly around us is merely a shadowy reflection of a 'higher reality'--one found beyond our day-to-day world" (Plato Forms). Cypher made the decision to abandon the real world to go back to the simulation that is the Matrix. The Matrix stimulated the brain to believe that it was experiencing the sensations of the senses it thought it perceived. Cypher’s life outside the Matrix, in the real world, had meaning to it. He was fighting for a goal. That goal was to one day free the humans from this imprisonment in the matrix and get back the world that they had once inhabited. On the other hand, while in the Matrix, Cypher had nothing. There were no goals, no real enjoyments, and no happiness. The Matrix was fake and therefore, nothing of any meaning could ever be achieved there. The Matrix was always changing, but none of the changes mattered because in the end, the Matrix was still nothing more than a computer program. Cypher was selfish and never cared about his fellow humans. This is shown through his decision to abandon his team, who were trying to free humans; and also through his ruthless killing of his crewmates. Ultimately, he showed that he did not care about the future of humanity. He was one of the few who had a chance to save the human race, but instead he decided that the task was too burdensome. Cypher also had a moral obligation to his peers to continue fighting the battle against the machines. He knew the Oracle, and he knew that Morpheus's group would have found the One to save humanity. However, Cypher selfishly resisted the distinct mission of the group; not only did he withdraw from the real world, but also tried to destroy the efforts of his peers. Much can be learned about the failings of Cypher's character by looking at his opposites. For example, instead of returning to ignorance and avoiding self-enlightenment, Socrates continually worked towards his goal of "waking up" his Athenian community (Irwin). Socrates felt he had to continuously fight his counterparts; he said, "I think god has caused me to settle on this city as this horsefly, the sort that never stops, all day long, coming to rest on every part of you, stinging each one of you into action, and persuading and criticizing each one of you" (Irwin). Such desire to reveal the truth and enlighten the masses lies only in true revolutionaries, such as Socrates or Neo. Much like Plato, Socrates was also on a mission to learn his own self truths. The simple phrase "Know Thyself" was inscribed in Greek in the temple of Apollo at Delphi; Socrates embraced this idea and lived by the related idea: "The unexamined life is not worth living" (Irwin). Cypher, however, in a true demonstration of greed, cheated not only himself, but the entire human population, without any effort to examine himself and his reality. Similarly, the apartment of the much less supernatural Oracle in The Matrix contained the exact phrase, "Know Thyself," in Latin (Irwin). The temple of Apollo and the Oracle's apartment reveal even more about the failings of Cypher's character. Inscribed in the temple is the simple proverb, "Nothing in excess"; the Oracle also uniquely represented this idea when she offered Neo a single cookie (Irwin). In opposition, Cypher was similar to the virus of the human race that Agent Smith describes: "You move to an area, and you multiply, and multiply, until every natural resource is consumed. A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet, you are a plague, and we are the cure" (The Matrix). Agent Smith was describing the habit of over-indulgence by the human race. Cypher openly represented the "virus" characterization and admitted he missed being able to excessively eat "juicy steaks" every day within the Matrix. In light of the stories of Socrates, the failings of Cypher become even more apparent.
Clearly, Cypher made the wrong choice in leaving the "desert of the real" in favor of the Matrix.
He bluntly stated his motives for returning to the Matrix. Cypher did not want to return for an altruistic purpose. Cypher proclaimed, "I don't want to remember nothing. Nothing! You understand? And I want to be rich. Someone important. Like an actor. You can do that, right?" (The Matrix). Through the logic of great thinkers, Cypher's failings become apparent. Plato's allegory of the cave challenged his moral character and his reluctance to spread the truth. Plato exposed Cypher's weak character and cowardice as shown by Cypher's inability to handle reality and unwillingness to carry out his duty to humankind. Plato also challenged Cypher's own personal conception of reality. Through the theory of the forms, Cypher's distorted view of the tangible realities was exposed. Through the stories of Socrates, Cypher's moral fallacies were again revealed, notably Cypher's over-indulgent behavior which contributed to the idea of the human race as a virus, and suggested numerous flaws in Cypher's
character.
Cypher’s choice was one that could easily be argued either way. One could say that the cause was ultimately pointless and not manageable and thus he was right in abandoning all hope and returning to the Matrix. The end of the struggle was never revealed in the movie so one could never know if that would be a legitimate excuse. However, if one gave up that easily on a mission to save humanity, it would show that they are weak and obviously, as shown by the thoughts of great thinkers like Plato. One could also argue that the Matrix was not actually hurting humans as it caused them no physical harm. This, however would not have been a reasonable explanation either. The Matrix basically destroyed all human life in that it did not allow them to actually live and enslaved them without their knowledge. Thus, the Matrix was a huge detriment and needed to be destroyed. Cypher was ultimately wrong in his choice to abandon this cause.
fighting the reign of these machines and trying to free the human race. Cypher, a member of Morpheus's group, decided he would rather go back to an easier life in the Matrix than keep fighting for this cause. Although initially idealistic, Cypher eventually lost faith in Morpheus and his so-called “The One”. Cypher decided to cooperate with the Agents that act to protect the Matrix, and conspired with them to kill his former crew members. Cypher essentially believed that there was no use in fighting anymore because there was the possibility of never actually winning the battle. Cypher justified his decision, declaring, "Ignorance is bliss" (The Matrix). Although Cypher's statement does have some validity, he ignored all of his duties to himself, his peers, and most importantly, the human race. Cypher clearly made the wrong choice in deciding to abandon "the desert of the real" in favor of an easier lift in the Matrix. Ultimately, he was killed and never returned to the Matrix. His needs to fulfill his duties as a citizen and a revolutionary were not only shown throughout the movie, but also specifically in other works written by great thinkers, such as Plato, about the complexity of reality. Cypher's decision to leave the real world went against the ideas of some of the greatest thinkers to have ever lived. Plato stated in his "Allegory of the Cave," "But if you continue to seek truth, you will eventually be able to handle it better. In fact, you want more! It's true that many people around you now may think you are weird or even a danger to society, but you don't care. Once you've tasted the truth, you won't ever want to go back to being ignorant" (Plato Cave). Cypher took the easy way out; his inability to handle reality was a direct result of his lackluster effort to pursue the greater truth of the Prophecy. Plato's allegory continued to explain the prisoner's unique dilemma, which is also quite similar to Cypher's situation. The prisoner's community survived while living permanently fixated to look at shadows projected by a fire onto a cave wall. The prisoners had no conception of reality; they thought the shadows were real. The cave situation was very similar to the false realities of the Matrix, whose inhabitants sincerely believed that the world they experience is real. The prisoner was unique from his counterparts; he was set free to learn the realities of the world as opposed to the false world of the Matrix. The prisoner eventually came to terms with the new world and realized how misled the other prisoners are. Much like Cypher, the decision to spread the truth troubled the prisoner. Unlike Cypher, however, the prisoner felt a moral obligation to his people and felt that he had a duty return to the cave to tell his counterparts. Plato praised the prisoner's correct moral decision best, stating, "Better to be the poor servant of a poor master, and to endure anything, rather than think as they do and live after their manner" (Plato Cave). Applying this quote to Cypher's situation, Plato and other sensible thinkers would have argued that it is better to experience actual reality and develop real emotions outside the Matrix than to live ignorantly and never experience real life within the simulated reality of the Matrix. Cypher also went against Plato’s theory of forms in deciding to go back to the Matrix. It stated, "…the 'reality' that we see directly around us is merely a shadowy reflection of a 'higher reality'--one found beyond our day-to-day world" (Plato Forms). Cypher made the decision to abandon the real world to go back to the simulation that is the Matrix. The Matrix stimulated the brain to believe that it was experiencing the sensations of the senses it thought it perceived. Cypher’s life outside the Matrix, in the real world, had meaning to it. He was fighting for a goal. That goal was to one day free the humans from this imprisonment in the matrix and get back the world that they had once inhabited. On the other hand, while in the Matrix, Cypher had nothing. There were no goals, no real enjoyments, and no happiness. The Matrix was fake and therefore, nothing of any meaning could ever be achieved there. The Matrix was always changing, but none of the changes mattered because in the end, the Matrix was still nothing more than a computer program. Cypher was selfish and never cared about his fellow humans. This is shown through his decision to abandon his team, who were trying to free humans; and also through his ruthless killing of his crewmates. Ultimately, he showed that he did not care about the future of humanity. He was one of the few who had a chance to save the human race, but instead he decided that the task was too burdensome. Cypher also had a moral obligation to his peers to continue fighting the battle against the machines. He knew the Oracle, and he knew that Morpheus's group would have found the One to save humanity. However, Cypher selfishly resisted the distinct mission of the group; not only did he withdraw from the real world, but also tried to destroy the efforts of his peers. Much can be learned about the failings of Cypher's character by looking at his opposites. For example, instead of returning to ignorance and avoiding self-enlightenment, Socrates continually worked towards his goal of "waking up" his Athenian community (Irwin). Socrates felt he had to continuously fight his counterparts; he said, "I think god has caused me to settle on this city as this horsefly, the sort that never stops, all day long, coming to rest on every part of you, stinging each one of you into action, and persuading and criticizing each one of you" (Irwin). Such desire to reveal the truth and enlighten the masses lies only in true revolutionaries, such as Socrates or Neo. Much like Plato, Socrates was also on a mission to learn his own self truths. The simple phrase "Know Thyself" was inscribed in Greek in the temple of Apollo at Delphi; Socrates embraced this idea and lived by the related idea: "The unexamined life is not worth living" (Irwin). Cypher, however, in a true demonstration of greed, cheated not only himself, but the entire human population, without any effort to examine himself and his reality. Similarly, the apartment of the much less supernatural Oracle in The Matrix contained the exact phrase, "Know Thyself," in Latin (Irwin). The temple of Apollo and the Oracle's apartment reveal even more about the failings of Cypher's character. Inscribed in the temple is the simple proverb, "Nothing in excess"; the Oracle also uniquely represented this idea when she offered Neo a single cookie (Irwin). In opposition, Cypher was similar to the virus of the human race that Agent Smith describes: "You move to an area, and you multiply, and multiply, until every natural resource is consumed. A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet, you are a plague, and we are the cure" (The Matrix). Agent Smith was describing the habit of over-indulgence by the human race. Cypher openly represented the "virus" characterization and admitted he missed being able to excessively eat "juicy steaks" every day within the Matrix. In light of the stories of Socrates, the failings of Cypher become even more apparent.
Clearly, Cypher made the wrong choice in leaving the "desert of the real" in favor of the Matrix.
He bluntly stated his motives for returning to the Matrix. Cypher did not want to return for an altruistic purpose. Cypher proclaimed, "I don't want to remember nothing. Nothing! You understand? And I want to be rich. Someone important. Like an actor. You can do that, right?" (The Matrix). Through the logic of great thinkers, Cypher's failings become apparent. Plato's allegory of the cave challenged his moral character and his reluctance to spread the truth. Plato exposed Cypher's weak character and cowardice as shown by Cypher's inability to handle reality and unwillingness to carry out his duty to humankind. Plato also challenged Cypher's own personal conception of reality. Through the theory of the forms, Cypher's distorted view of the tangible realities was exposed. Through the stories of Socrates, Cypher's moral fallacies were again revealed, notably Cypher's over-indulgent behavior which contributed to the idea of the human race as a virus, and suggested numerous flaws in Cypher's
character.
Cypher’s choice was one that could easily be argued either way. One could say that the cause was ultimately pointless and not manageable and thus he was right in abandoning all hope and returning to the Matrix. The end of the struggle was never revealed in the movie so one could never know if that would be a legitimate excuse. However, if one gave up that easily on a mission to save humanity, it would show that they are weak and obviously, as shown by the thoughts of great thinkers like Plato. One could also argue that the Matrix was not actually hurting humans as it caused them no physical harm. This, however would not have been a reasonable explanation either. The Matrix basically destroyed all human life in that it did not allow them to actually live and enslaved them without their knowledge. Thus, the Matrix was a huge detriment and needed to be destroyed. Cypher was ultimately wrong in his choice to abandon this cause.