Minh Cao
Introduction to Philosophy
The Matrix and Its Relations to Plato’s and Descartes’ Philosophy “Have you ever had a dream that you’re so sure that it’s real? What if I you were able to wake up from that dream, how would you know the difference between that dream world and the real world?” (Morpheus, The Matrix). Morpheus poses this question when introducing Neo to the matrix. Morpheus’ question immediately addresses the issue of reality that is concerned by Plato and Descartes. The allegory of the cave by Plato explores similar themes introduced in The Matrix, noticeably the idea of different realities one might come to perceive. The movie also overlaps with Descartes’ thoughts on perceptions and the power of individuals’ mind. The way The Matrix brings up the question of reality closely resembles that of Plato when he created the allegory of the cave. Plato invites us to envision human beings as prisoners who have been kept in a dark underground cave from infancy. The prisoners have their necks chained so that they can only see before them. Behind them burns a fire that projects the shadows of the prisoners on the wall in front of them. The shadows are the only reality that the prisoners have ever known. When one of the prisoners is released from the chain and can turn his head around, what lies behind him overwhelms him with confusion. The released prisoner finds himself at loss because he cannot identify which one of the realities, the reality that he grew up with and the reality that is suddenly presented to him, is the true reality. He does not want to believe that what he has come to comprehend as reality all his life is only the shadows casted on the wall by the fire. He is then forced to see the sunlight, something that he has never seen before. Observing nature in the sunlight enables him to finally understand that what he is experiencing is the true reality. The released prisoner returns to the cave and describes what he has seen to the rest