The Matrix, Plato, and Descartes: A Philosophical Exploration

This essay delves into the philosophical similarities and differences between the movie 'The Matrix' and the works of Plato and Descartes, particularly focusing on Plato's allegory of the cave and Descartes' 'Meditations on First Philosophy.' It examines the relationship between reality and the world, discussing how our senses shape our understanding and referencing Putnam's thought experiment. The essay also explores the idea of 'ignorance is bliss' and its impact on perception, especially in the context of childhood beliefs and societal constructs. Ultimately, it argues that while sensory imperfections and societal conditioning can limit our understanding, imagination and critical thinking can help us break free from constructed beliefs and achieve a more enlightened perspective. This analysis provides a comprehensive overview of the philosophical themes present in 'The Matrix' and their connections to classical philosophical thought. Desklib provides solved assignments and past papers for students.

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Table of contents
Similarities and differences between The Matrix and readings from Plato and DesCartes............3
Relation between reality and the world...........................................................................................3
Effectiveness of the fact that ignorance is bliss...............................................................................4
Truth regarding beliefs....................................................................................................................5
References........................................................................................................................................6

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Similarities and differences between The Matrix and readings from Plato and DesCartes
Matrix makes the individuals aware of the difference between the dream world and the
real world. Plato’s cave allegory also answers the questions related to the effectiveness of the
reality, which is visible to the human eyes. Therefore, consideration of the message of Matrix
and the propositions of Plato and Descartes results in establishment of the fact that there is a hell
and heaven difference between the worlds, in which the humans venture (Cornell, 2016 p.123).
Countering this, synthesis of The Matrix and Plato and Descartes turns the discussion to
transcendence into the other world through dreams. The mouthpieces of Plato and Descartes are
unaware of the real world because of their manipulation since birth. This can be considered as an
obstacle in their physical, mental, emotional and social development (Wachowski, Andy & Lan,
1999).
If Plato’s cave allegory is taken, the people are confined within the claustrophobic
ambience of the cave. This is their condition since their birth. Therefore, obstacles are natural in
their development. Showing them shadows are the means to convince them the reality that lies in
the outside world (Friedman, 2014, p.245). This can be considered as an escape for the people in
the cave, exposing to the outside world. This exposure conjoins the arguments of The Matrix,
Plato and Descartes, however, consistency is maintained in the fact that there lies a lot of
difference between the real world and the expectations possessed by people like Mr Anderson
regarding the world in which they are living (Irwin, 2002, p.214).
The claustrophobic ambience of the cave contradicts the freedom of the outside world.
Viewing it from the other perspective, the cave and outside world are the two phases of a human
mind. Pressurization towards thinking in one way relates with the suffocation, clogging the

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thoughts, emotions and expressions of the people. This is the case with the people inside the
cave, who are instigated through the narrations of freedom. Exposing a liberal attitude towards
the mental expressions of the people relates with the atttibutes of freedom, enlightenment among
others. In view of all these aspects, it can be said that the propositions and assumptions made by
Plato and Descartes leads to the formation of the utopia in
The Matrix. Countering this, it can
also be said that the utopia created in The Matrix lead philosophers like Plato and Descartes to
propose concepts like the cave allegory and create masterpieces like
Meditations on First
Philosophy.
Relation between reality and the world
Our knowledge of reality is based on our senses. However, when a Child is born, his
ideas, concepts are like a blank sheet, known as tabula rasa by the philosopher John Locke. In
this stage, the knowledge about the world is self made. With the advent of maturity, the blank
sheet is filled with thoughts, emotions and ideas (Cornell, 2016, p.312). Putnam’s experiment is
effective in this regards. He said that the path achieved towards knowing the reality is important.
The collaborative functioning of the five senses results in the visual observation of the world
around us. This collaboration adds value to the knowledge that we gain about our surroundings
(Wachowski, Andy & Lana, 1999).
In this visual process, science is very much related. The light from the objects is reflected
from the objects to our eyes. The rear side of the eyeball helps the individuals in focusing on the
objects and the surroundings. In this process, the optic nerve gets hitted, this enhances the visual
perception of the people (Friedman, 2014, p.124). However, the world is much dense than the
usual observation. This can be explained with the example of the iceberg. One glance projects

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only 10% of the iceberg. However, the rest of the huge iceberg lies under water. This reflects that
all the activities of the humans, including observations are performed unconsciously. Execution
of the activities makes the individuals aware that their existence is meaningless as there is a great
demarcation between reality and their expectation, which is inerasable (Irwin, 2002, p.245).
Effectiveness of the fact that ignorance is bliss
In some cases, ignorance is blissful, as it safeguards the people from the harsh realities of
the world. This is applicable for children, as there is a certain age limit for them to know the
basic things around them. However, they need to be made aware of the harsh reality, which
awaits them (Cornell, 2016, p.341). If they suddenly come across something, with which they are
unfamiliar with, they would fail to handle the situation. Viewing the situation from the
perspective of the persons confined in the cave, their mentality is like a child, craving for getting
out of the cave and making themselves acquainted with the real scenario of the outside world.
Viewing it from other perspective, they are much secured in the cave from the harsh realities of
the outside world. Exposure to the outside world would disturb their visual perceptions, rather
illusions regarding the outside world, adding to their hopes of freedom (Wachowski, Andy &
Lana, 1999).
Truth regarding beliefs
Beliefs and truth are related in the stages of childhood. This is because the thoughts,
which children develop, are according to their self made observations of the things, which
surrounds them (Vaihinger, 2014, p.421). When the children grow up, they understand that the
concepts, which they made in the childhood, are simply baseless and will not yield productive
results in terms of the achievement of the targetted goals. Herein lays the effectiveness of the fact

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that there is a broad demarcation between reality and the expectations. In terms of the adult
complexities, the fact gets intensified to a great extent. In the attempts of solving these
complexities, the humans get entrapped in the powerful blows of fate, which they fail to negate
(Irwin, 2002, 251).
However, the humans like Mr Anderson or the people in the cave are not to be blamed, as
they are bound within the baseless stereotypical societal traditions and customs from the
childhood. Imperfection of the senses would act as a deviation from the usual bodily functions
(Friedman, 2014 p.156). Countering this, exercising of the imaginative power, skills and abilities
would break the shackles of traditionalism and help the individuals to discard the constructed
beliefs and create new thoughts, ideas and concepts.

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References
Cornell, D. (2016).
The philosophy of the limit. Routledge.
Friedman, M. (2014).
Foundations of space-time theories: Relativistic physics and philosophy of
science. Princeton University Press.
Irwin, W. (Ed.). (2002).
The matrix and philosophy: Welcome to the desert of the real (Vol. 3).
Open Court Publishing.
Vaihinger, H. (2014).
The philosophy of as if. Routledge.
Wachowski, Andy, and Lana Wachowski.
The Matrix. Directed by Andy Wachowski and Lana
Wachowski. Los Angeles: Warner Bros. Pictures, 1999.