The Matrix’s main theme is “Being as such”. Neo is a prisoner of artificial Intelligence, with no control over his reality or perception. While he believes he lives in the city and enjoys the hot weather, in fact his brain is being controlled and tracked by machines thousands of decades later than the time that he actually exists. This plot can be directly compared to the philosophical argument “Brain inside a vat”. This argument simply suggests that if scientists were allowed to place a brain in an open jar, and then add stimulants to make it function as normal, the brain, its thoughts, and all of its functions would be as normal. The brain could have normal experiences and relationships. It would also be able to form normal everyday scenarios that are typical of living in a human body. It will be the brain (being like it), but it isn’t more complicated than “being”. This idea is similar in meaning to the phrase, “believing isn’t believing”, as the reality we perceive and believe is all that actually exists is sometimes not what really exists. Plato’s Allegory of the cave is a unique approach to this problem. The cave holds men who have been locked up in it. They don’t know about the outside world. They know they exist but can only see the world in front of their eyes. They hear the voices of “shadows” as they pass them on their journeys, but they are unable to distinguish or understand the voices coming from behind and not just the visible figures. They can’t imagine or know what they don’t know exist because they have been trained to look at the present.
“Imagine that their prison was echoing against the wall. The sound they heard was a shadow passing by their eyes. No doubt” (Plato 9)
He mentions the fire behind them that emits light, something that prisoners have been conditioned to see. They don’t believe there is any brighter light, and have never seen it before. If someone told them, it would be difficult for them to see the reality of life as it is. Plato provides proof of this by stating that if prisoners were allowed to escape and are forced to face the intense light of the fire, they would feel pain and perplexity and lose their ability to perceive the truth.
“He would then need to become accustomed before seeing things in the upper world.” (Plato). As it is easier for him recognize the natural differences between what is normal and what is not, the prisoner will be more inclined to go back to his previous way. Wisdom is another theme that can be found in the Matrix, as well as in Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. Wisdom comes from experience and knowledge. “I am here because of the path I have chosen, not because of the one that is ahead of me.” (Morpheus, The Matrix Reloaded).
Neo’s first encounter with the Matrix is difficult. He realized that everything he believed was real was not the case. To free the rest of humanity, he uses the knowledge and experience he has gained to help them see reality as it is. This theme in matrix is directly analogous to Platos Cave story, where the prisoner is freed and blinded in the sun after he leaves. He was temporarily blinded by the light because it is stronger than any other light he had ever seen. He must adjust to the light to be able see the rest. Once his eyes have adjusted, he longs to go back into the cave to inform the others about the realities of reality. He is a lot like Neo in The Matrix. Comparing these two storires helps me see reality in a different light and inspires me to remain “present”. Most striking to me was the “Brain in a Vat” concept in the Matrix as well in Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. It is possible to see more than we imagine. Wisdom requires both intelligence and experience.
