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The Matrix
Spring 2016 PHIL 201
February 22, 2016
Week 5 Essay
Compare and contrast The Matrix with the readings from Plato and Descartes. What are some
similarities and differences?
There are several similarities with all of the readings. The Matrix is the story of a world that has order
and action, but it is all an illusion. Most people in the Matrix are not aware that they are in the
computer generated reality. This is very similar to the men in the cave in “The Allegory of the Cave”
by Plato. They are all in a situation where they know only what they can see, smell, and hear. In both
stories there is something that is causing them to stay in this state of illusion, but when Neo takes the
pill and the man is freed from the fetters they both discover a whole new world waiting for them. This
is a “new” reality and their entire understanding of life and how they live it changes.
These two works are also different in the fact that Plato’s work refers to one man being freed, where as
the Matrix is more about one man joining a revolution to lead to the freedom all people. The other
difference is that in the Matrix the participants are literally kept in a coma state and the computer
generates their life for them. The cave is different because the men are positioned to only see one
perspective and once given the chance to move the man is able to see the “Real World” all around him.
They already live in reality, but their position is one that has forced them to only have one perspective
on life and all of them share the same perspective.
In the excerpts from Descartes work he is pondering the philosophy of living life and his own belief in
God and the life he has been given. He is questioning if his life is reality or is it all a dream. Is his
state of reality something that is not real, but a dream world created by God? He wonders if all of his
knowledge is based on a false reality. He argues that simple things that are absolute like math and
measurements could be just ideas of deception put before him by an all powerful Deity. This then takes
him into a place of reminding himself of the good character of God and he decides that if there has been
a deception that it could only come from a demon. The man resolves himself to be aware and not to
wake himself from the dream and to trust that what he is living is not a dream, but his reality.
Descartes’ work is similar to the other works because they all share one common theme to discover if
the life they know is reality, dream, or a generated reality. His work comes from the perspective of the
actual man who questions his perspective on life. The Matrix and Plato’s work all are telling a story
and watching from the outside and watching events unfold.
Which is better: the harshness of reality, or the “ignorance is bliss” of illusion? Defend your
answer.
‘Ignorance is Bliss” is such an awful play on words; because it assumes that control and taking away a
person’s free will means happiness. I do not agree that ignorance is bliss! This leads only to the status
quo and no more. The illusion shows life in a designed pattern that has no variation and no change.
Everyone is the same and everyone has life decided for them. Reality can be harsh, but with it comes
free will and choices to make decisions for your life. You can choose to be a good guy fighting in the
revolution or the guy that sees things in a whole new light! Reality gives new knowledge and
perspectives on you, your abilities, and the world in which you live. When the blinders are taken off,
you decide who you are, what you believe and what you believe in. You are no longer forced to
follow the tradition of the designed pattern, but you can discover and choose your own destiny.
Wachowski, Andy, and Lana Wachowski, The Matrix, Directed by Andy Wachowski and Lana
Wachowski. Los Angeles: Warner Bros. Pictures, 1999
Excerpt from René Descartes,“Meditation I of the Things of Which We May Doubt”,
Meditations on First Philosophy, 1641
Excerpt from Plato, “The Allegory of the Cave”, The Republic, Book VII, 514A1–518D8
