The Matrix and Philosophy - Blog 3

The reading that interested me most is Skepticism, Morality and The Matrix by Gerald Erion and Barry Smith. They talk about why we might be living in the Matrix and they are skeptic that we cannot know for sure that the external world exists. I highly agree that we do not know for certain that there is a Matrix. What particularly interested me is the ideas of Rene Descartes. He believed that a “malicious demon of the utmost power and cunning has employed all his energies in order to deceive.” I like this idea because there could be a possibility of a demon making us think or do whatever he wants without us being cognisant of what is happening. Peter Unger has a similar idea but instead of a malicious demon controlling you he thinks a evil scientist is. I completely agree to their ideas because we have no idea if this is true but there’s a possibility.

Thoughts about the Matrix - Blog 2

When I have first seen the film The Matrix years ago, I thought I just saw a regular science-fiction action movie. Watching it again in class made me realize there is more to it then crazy fighting scenes. It made me realize that there is philosophy and religion behind it. Just like Jesus Christ. Neo dies and comes back to life. As Judas from the twelve disciples betrays Jesus, Cypher does the same to Neo. Trinity is compared to the Holy Spirit and Morpheus is compared to “god” of the matrix. The philosophy behind the film is were Neo is compared to Socrates and the film is compared to the Allegory of the Cave. Are we living in the Matrix is what really runs through my mind. No one will ever have knowledge of themselves being in the Matrix. As written in Peter Unger’s 1975 book Ignorance, he believes that an evil scientist is using a computer to create electrical impulses that are sent to our central nervous system. Then using these impulses to stimulate our brain. He then tells us that the scientist tricks us into thinking that there are objects like books and chairs when there is not. However, do we really know if there is an evil scientist? Do we really know if books or chairs are there or not? Like these ideas, we would never know if we are living in the Matrix or not. Just the idea of an evil scientist deceiving you of what you are thinking and doing is mind bottling.

Allegory of the Cave - Blog 1

In Socrates' cave, I would believe to be in the stage of being chained up inside. This is a direct reference to The Matrix, where people are living in a dream world and they only have the knowledge that this is their reality. I would be still at the stage of being chained up because that would be my reality. Being freed would just confuse and lose me from what reality is as I learned it. I know where I am because shackled between a fire and a wall watching shadow go by for long period of time is closest thing to reality around so I have grown accustom to it. In my life, something that was taught to me since I was very young is being a catholic. I was grown and accustom to being a catholic all my life, so I would be confused and reject any other religion. As if I were chained up in the cave, I know where I am and I know what my reality is. I believe that if you are taught something you are going to stick with that fact. I was taught to be catholic as a child so I stuck with it. Being chained in the cave watching these shadows pass by and being told that this was reality, I am going to stick with it because this is what I was taught and grown to know.