The Matrix

"The Matrix"

If I was Plato and I was a movie critic, this would be my opinion of the movie "The Matrix." The Matrix and my work "Plato's Republic" revolve around the notion that reality is vastly different from the illusions man accepts to be true. In each work, man discovers truth through a distinct but related process, and from these processes, we can form conclusions as to the true nature of reality. The cause of deception can be identified as well. Both of these works share a common idea: facing reality causes pain and disorientation for both individuals and society. Based on the examination of each of the works, one can derive a process to reach conclusions about fundamental truths that cause suffering for the enlightened.

To understand what is real, one must begin by going through a series of logical steps. First, man must realize that he has been deceived and that his perception of reality is, at best, doubtful. Then he must devise a way to find Truth. Once he succeeds in finding Truth, man naturally denies it because it is painful. Last, he must accept reality and shift his life to embrace this "brave new world." In The Matrix, the process is simple. Morpheus offers Neo a choice between two pills. Neo chooses to learn the truth and takes the red pill. My version (Plato) of enlightenment is not so easily attained. In The Republic, the leader must journey out of the cave of darkness and into the brilliant sunlight, or out of the realm of belief and into the realm of knowledge.

After going through a process, man reaches conclusions about reality, which may or may not be concrete. Neo concludes that the "world pulled over our eyes" is an illusion created by the matrix. My man (Plato's man) finds that the realm of knowledge is far greater than the realm of belief. Very few can discover "that which is."

In each case, one can identify a cause or device used for deception. In The Matrix, Artificial Intelligence itself is the culprit. In Plato's Republic, the device is not so clear. Humans seem to have bound themselves in the darkness of the cave. The passage of time aids deception as well. The longer man remains in darkness, the more stubborn he becomes about leaving. Also, time and habit worked against society because it failed to question the Ptolemaic system for 1500 years, falling into