Epistemology is the nature of knowledge. Knowledge is important when considering what is reality and what is deception. The movie “The Matrix” displays a social deception in which Neo, the main character, is caught between what he thought was once reality and a whole new world that controls everything he thought was real. If I were Neo, I would not truly be able to know that I was in the matrix. However, it is rational to believe that I am in the matrix and will eventually enter back into my reality later. The proof that that I can know that I am in the matrix and that I will return to reality comes from the responses of foundationalism, idealism, and pallibalism.
To begin, foundationalism is the essence of what we are certain of. Many philosophers argue on the basis of foundationalism to find out where knowledge begins. This will help determine if Neo would be able to know or not know if he is dreaming up the matrix or in fact that it is reality. The popularity of foundationalism starts with Descartes. He challenged the previously popular skepticism. In Descartes Meditations he discusses many issues relating to the question of “where does knowledge come from?” His main arguments appear in his dreaming argument. He first begins by stating 1. I often have perceptions very much like the ones I usually have in sensation while I am dreaming. Then he goes on to say 2. There are no definite signs to distinguish dream experience from waking experience. These two premises lead to the conclusion that 3. It is possible that I am dreaming right now and that all my perceptions are false. This shows that there is no real way to know to know anything. Descartes add to his argument using foundationalism. “’Throughout my writings I have made it clear that my method imitates that of the architect. When an architect wants to build a house which is stable on ground where there is a sandy topsoil over underlying rock, or clay, or some other firm base, he begins by digging out a set of trenches from which he removes the sand, and anything resting on or mixed in with the sand, so that he can lay his foundations on firm soil. In the same way, I began by taking everything that was doubtful and throwing it out, like sand ... (Replies 7, AT 7:537)’ (Lex, Newman)”. This explains how foundationalism works; you must remove al...
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...notion and the only thing that one can be certain of is them selves.
Clearly then, foundationalism, idealism, and pallibalism all fit together to prove that Neo can not be certain of the matrix, but only himself. Also it further explains how it is rational for him to believe that the matrix exists through his perception of the matrix and the knowledge he obtains when he is there. The growth of knowledge in Neo’s mind is possible what is his deception. The more he perceives could possible be more he is deceived. What we know about reality is all in our minds and if we can only be certain of ourselves and our own existence then the reality that we perceive and conceive does exist. So the answer is yes, Neo can know that he is in the matrix, but this does not necessarily mean the matrix exists. As far as Neo knows the matrix does exist and that he will return to what he thought was his reality later, knowing that there is more than just his world.
Works Cited
Newman, Lex, “Descartes’ Epistemology”, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 1999 Edition), Edward N, Zalta (ed.), URL= http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spring1999/entries/Descartes
Let me briefly explain a simplified plot of The Matrix. The story centers around a computer-generated world that has been created to hide the truth from humans. In this world people are kept in slavery without their knowledge. This world is designed to simulate the peak of human civilization which had been destroyed by nuclear war. The majority of the world's population is oblivious to the fact that their world is digital rather than real, and they continue living out their daily lives without questioning their reality. The main character, Neo, is a matrix-bound human who knows that something is not right with the world he lives in, and is eager to learn the truth. He is offered the truth from a character named Morpheus, who proclaims that Neo is “the One” (chosen one) who will eventually destroy the Matrix, thereby setting the humans “free.” For this to happen, Neo must first overcome the Sentient Program agents who can jump into anyone's digital body. They are the Gate Keepers and hold the keys to The Matrix.
This student of Philosophy now sees the movie The Matrix in a whole new way after gaining an understanding of some of the underlying philosophical concepts that the writers of the movie used to develop an intriguing and well thought out plot. Some of the philosophical concepts were clear, while others were only hinted at and most likely overlooked by those unfamiliar with those concepts, as was this student when the movie first came out in theaters all those many years ago. In this part of the essay we will take a look at the obvious and not so obvious concepts of: what exactly is the Matrix and how does it related to both Descartes and Plato, can we trust our own senses once we understand what the Matrix is, and how Neo taking the Red Pill is symbolic of the beginning of the journey out of Pl...
The Matrix is a film where every aspect of reality is questioned. Neo is a computer hacker whose life goal is to know the truth
In 1972, Irving Janis presented a set of hypothesis that he extracted from observing small groups performing problem solving tasks; he collectively referred to these hypotheses as groupthink¹. He defined groupthink as “a quick and easy way to refer to a mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group, when the members’ striving for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action²” A successful group brings varied ideas, collective knowledge, and focus on the task at hand. The importance of groups is to accomplish tasks that individuals can not do on their own. The Bay of Pigs, Watergate, and the Challenger disaster are all forms of failure within a group. Specifically, you can see the effect of groupthink of Americans before September 11, 2001. The thought of harm to the United States was unfathomable, but only after the attacks did they realize they were not invincible. When a solid, highly cohesive group is only concerned with maintaining agreement, they fail to see their alternatives and any other available options. When a group experiences groupthink, they may feel uninterested about a task, don't feel like they will be successful, and the group members do not challenge ideas. Stress is also a factor in the failure of groupthink. An effective group needs to have clear goals, trust, accountability, support, and training. Some indicators that groupthink may be happening are; making unethical decisions, they think they are never wrong, close-minded about situations, and ignore important information. Many things can be done to prevent groupthink from happening. One way is to make each person in the group a “critical evaluator”. The leader must ...
This study demonstrated that pop music influences happiness mood. As hypothesized participants in the pop music category were influence by the music and seem happier. The analysis revealed that participants in the rock and classical music categories didn’t have an effect in their mood. The results for rock and classical music did not supported the hypothesis, which rock music causes a person to have an aggressive mood, and classical music will lead to a calmer mood. The data support the primacy effect pop music results supported the hypothesis that pop music leads to a happier mood. The results from this data support from previous literature research such as the pop category. The results could also interpret as support for (Hargreaves, 1999). People make their music preferences based on the emotional state they are in (Hargreaves, 1999). The analysis revealed that pop music scored higher than students who had rock or classical. The implications for this study are to examine if music influence mood in a negative or positive aspect). As an outcome happiness mood correlated with pop music . There wasn’t no effect between rock music and aggressive mood. Classical music didn’t have a relationship between classic music and calm mood. The results of this study wouldn’t be able to support (Jordana Mena, 2007). This consists of classical music being composed with different emotions based on the key and time signature it is on. If the classical piece is written in a higher key then they saw different mood responses than the classical pieces written in a low key (Jordan Mena, 2007). This study has provided that music is more than just a piece, of a lyric, beat, or instrument it has been proven that music can help people ...
Once entering reality, he had knowledge of what it was like to experience life both in the Matrix and in the ‘real’ world. When returning to the Matrix with Morpheus after exposure to reality he was able to remember experiences he had from his life within the Matrix such as people he knew and places he dined. This evidence enabled him to understand that the information he was told by Morpheus was true. He had previously been living in the Matrix and he had escaped into reality. Fundamentally, for people living within the Matrix it is impossible to know that they are not living in the ‘real world.’ For Neo to see the computer program that was running the Matrix was pivotal in this thinking. He used logic and reasoning to determine that what he was being told was real – it is true that he was living in a false reality. This was a key source of evidence that suggested to Neo that he was currently in the true
Deep within the cave the prisoners are chained by their necks and have a limited view of reality. Around them, by the distant light of the fire, they only see shadows and outlines of people or objects. From their conclusions of what they may think is real, are false. “The Matrix” parallels Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” in a number of ways. Similar to the prisoners of the cave the humans trapped in the modern day puppet-handlers (the machines) want them to see. In the movie, Neo is a computer hacker, and on day he suddenly realizes that his world is fake, by finding out the truth after he was released from the pod. Neo discovers that what he has been presented with his entire life is only reflections or merely shadows of the truth. The theme is recognized throughout the movie as we see many objects, as well as Neo, reflected in other objects. The puppet-handlers (the machines) represent what Plato calls the influential and powerful members of society. The objects making the shadows in “The Allegory of the Cave” are also creating a false conclusion for the prisoners. In “The Matrix” the puppet-handle...
This is like the people who are living in the matrix. Nobody questions their reality as they continue on with their life, even though their perceptions of reality are false. We continue our day to day lives in our delusional reality, without ever daring to doubt our core beliefs. To both the inhabitants of the matrix and me, it is more convenient to perceive our reality as the truth, rather than seek a greater veracity. This is because shaking off the core values you were raised with is extremely hard. Even when Neo had taken the pill and was enlightened, there was still a point where he refused to believe it all. The truth was in front of his eyes and he still claimed that it couldn’t be real. This is due to human’s tendency of wanting to be right and aware. If I was put in such a position, I would not happily and easily accept that my life had been a lie. To me what I have experienced and felt is my reality. However, I can never truly begin to define what the absolute reality is. To me sensory knowledge is reality, but Morpheus refutes this thought saying “If you're talking about what you can feel, what you can smell, what you can taste and see, then 'real' is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain”. When I look at it this way, then I may very well be living in a fabricated world such as the matrix. However, the reality may be painful and difficult, so I will
The Matrix is a movie showing the main concepts of reality and truth and a basic aspect is Plato’s theory on reality which states that reality changes depending on something. In this movie this theory is implied to how Neo’s reality changes based on how he escaped from the matrix and noticed that the reality and perspective changed from a normal society to an apocalyptical world. This is a mixed aspect of truth and reality due to how the reality changes, based on Plato’s Theory, but also his perspective also changes on how he doubts if anything is actually true and real. Thi...
Emergency care has always been an important part of history all over the world. It has been said that medical assistance has been around and prevalent since as far back as 1500 B.C. Around the 1700’s is when EMS systems first began to experience large advancements, and ever since then, the field continues to grow and improve every year.
There are eight symptoms of groupthink. The first symptom is when all or most of the group view themselves as invincible which causes them to make decisions that may be risky. The group has an enormous amount of confidence and authority in their decisions as well as in themselves. They see themselves collectively better in all ways than any other group and they believe the event will go well not because of what it is, but because they are involved. The second symptom is the belief of the group that they are moral and upstanding, which leads the group to ignore the ethical or moral consequences of the decisions. The group engages in a total overestimation of its morality. There is never any question that the group is not doing the right thing, they just act. The disregarding of information or warnings that may lead to changes in past policy is the third symptom. Even if there is considerable evidence against their standpoint, they see no problems with their plan. Stereotyping of enemy leaders or others as weak or stupid is the fourth symptom. This symptom leads to close-mindedness to other individuals and their opinions. The fifth symptom is the self-censorship of an individual causing him to overlook his doubts. A group member basically keeps his mouth shut so the group can continue in harmony. Symptom number six refers to the illusion of unanimity; going along with the majority, and the assumption that silence signifies consent. Sometimes a group member who questions the rightness of the goals is pressured by others into concurring or agreeing, this is symptom number seven. The last symptom is the members that set themselves up as a buffer to protect the group from adverse information that may destroy their shared contentment regarding the group’s ...
In the movie The Matrix we find a character by the name of Neo and his struggle adapting to the truth...to reality. This story is closely similar to an ancient Greek text written by Plato called "The Allegory of the Cave." Now both stories are different but the ideas are basically the same. Both Stories have key points that can be analyzed and related to one another almost exactly. There is no doubt that The Matrix was based off Greek philosophy. The idea of freeing your mind or soul as even stated in "The Allegory of the Cave" is a well known idea connecting to Greek philosophy. The Matrix is more futuristic and scientific than "The Cave" but it's the same Idea. Neo is trapped in a false reality created by a computer program that was created by machines that took over the planet. Now the story of course has many themes such as Man vs. Machine, Good vs. Evil, and our favorite Reality vs. Illusion. Neo is unplugged from the matrix and learns the truth and becomes "the one" who is to save the humans from their machine oppressors. "The Cave" is similar in that it has humans trapped in a cave and chained up to only face one direction. The "puppeteers" then make shadows against the wall the humans face using the fire from the outside as a light source. One big difference is that "The Cave" is about two philosophers conversing about the cave as one explains what needs to happen and that the prisoners must free their souls to find truth. The Matrix is the actions of what the philosopher describes actually happening. The comparing of the two stories will show how things said in "The Cave" are the same as in The Matrix, of course with the exception that one is futuristic ...
Recorded videos were used to analyze the movement patterns of the runners. The participants were an elite (male) and a novice runner (female). The elite runner used a standard track field while the novice used a treadmill in a standard gym. The result showed that the elite runner had a longer stride than the non-expert due to his long legs. The novice runner required less force to move her body than the elite runner. The expert had longer stride resulting in longer step length which made him move faster than the novice. As the feet of both participants touched the ground the expert had a higher ground reaction force than the non-expert. The elite had a higher cadence than the non-elite because his legs moved faster. During stance phase, they both have one foot on the ground and as their foot first hit the ground they both slow down. However, the novice was slower because the elite had a faster speed making him spend less time in the
Some people may not know exactly what First Aid is, or if they do they might not quite understand the full meaning of it. First Aid is the care that is given to an injured or sick person prior to treatment by medically trained personnel (Nordqvist, 2009). Believe it or not First Aid is dated back to the 11th century in Europe. The order of St. John was created in Europe with an aim of training people to be able to medically care for victims of battlefield injuries (Nordqvist, 2009). During the same period there were other knights that were trained as well to help with the battlefield injuries. In the 19th century, 1859, Henry Dunant, had trained and organized local village folks to administer first aid to battlefield victims in Italy (Nordqvist, 2009). However, in 1863, four nations had met in Geneva, Switzerland and formed the Red Cross (Nordqvist, 2009). There are three main goals that First Aid has, and they are: To preserve life, to prevent further harm, and promote recovery. Preserving life is the main aim of first aid, meaning to save lives of the first aider, the victim and any bystanders. To prevent further harm means to keep the patient stable and to be sure that the patient’s...
First Aid is a broad spectrum of things. It can range from the simplest of tasks like helping a kid that fell down and may have broken a bone sit still until EMS can get there to properly splint the arm and transport them to an emergency room, or putting an ice pack on a sprained ankle until proper medical care can be administered, to performing CPR on a patient in cardiac arrest, or rescue breathing to a person whom is not breathing but has a pulse.