Comparing Plato, Descartes, And The Matrix
Melissa A. Reeves
Plato, Descartes, and The Matrix Essay
02/14/2014
Phil 201-B15
Liberty University Professor Ronald Kuykendall
In comparing the movie The Matrix and the readings from Plato and Descartes, the major similarity found among the three is deception. It is the deception of the mind that these excerpts deal with. The idea of being in an illusion or reality is addressed. All three take into account sense perceptions. Also, all three have an outside influence that is controlling the mind that is forming the illusion, whether it be a computer, a shadow, or a demon.
In The Matrix, Neo is asked by Morpheus to choose between the red pill and the blue pill. Neo ultimately chooses the red pill to follow Morpheus. In taking the red pill, Neo leaves his existence in the matrix, which is a machine generated computer world, to join the “real” world. Neo is then forced to deal with the fact that the world he’d know his whole existence was just an illusion. Morpheus has to explain to Neo that normally they would not free a mind at …show more content…
The Matrix uses Descartes dream argument as a basis for the format of the movie. Descartes finds fault with evidence given to us by our senses, which is shown in the movie. Neo trusted his senses when in the matrix because his eyes and ears and nose told him to. The major difference between them is that Plato and Descartes take into question the new reality and that it might never occur because they are both hypothetical. Plato and Descartes make the point that the way we sense and perceive all things can be false, even the “real” reality. The difference is in the movie, The Matrix, it actually follows through with Neo making his way to the real reality and the validity of the reality is not questioned. The movie does not question whether both the matrix and reality are real
Plato, Descartes, and The Matrix Essay
02/14/2014
Phil 201-B15
Liberty University Professor Ronald Kuykendall
In comparing the movie The Matrix and the readings from Plato and Descartes, the major similarity found among the three is deception. It is the deception of the mind that these excerpts deal with. The idea of being in an illusion or reality is addressed. All three take into account sense perceptions. Also, all three have an outside influence that is controlling the mind that is forming the illusion, whether it be a computer, a shadow, or a demon.
In The Matrix, Neo is asked by Morpheus to choose between the red pill and the blue pill. Neo ultimately chooses the red pill to follow Morpheus. In taking the red pill, Neo leaves his existence in the matrix, which is a machine generated computer world, to join the “real” world. Neo is then forced to deal with the fact that the world he’d know his whole existence was just an illusion. Morpheus has to explain to Neo that normally they would not free a mind at …show more content…
The Matrix uses Descartes dream argument as a basis for the format of the movie. Descartes finds fault with evidence given to us by our senses, which is shown in the movie. Neo trusted his senses when in the matrix because his eyes and ears and nose told him to. The major difference between them is that Plato and Descartes take into question the new reality and that it might never occur because they are both hypothetical. Plato and Descartes make the point that the way we sense and perceive all things can be false, even the “real” reality. The difference is in the movie, The Matrix, it actually follows through with Neo making his way to the real reality and the validity of the reality is not questioned. The movie does not question whether both the matrix and reality are real