The Matrix: Plato's Allegory Of The Cave

1005 Words3 Pages

The film The Matrix, directed by siblings Andy and Lana Wachowski, has been entertaining audiences since its release in 1999. Due to the movies great special effects and intense actors, it is no surprise that it is loved by many. However, ordinary moviegoers overlooked the most important points of the film. The fact is, The Matrix has a tremendous deal of famous philosophical influences. Arguably, one of the main inspirations for the film was the classical Greek philosopher Plato. Plato’s Allegory of the Cave has countless parallels with The Matrix. Plato presents the idea that the world we see is a no more than a shadow of what truly exists in the universe. In The Matrix, this idea is what makes up the entire plot and …show more content…

He believed that all knowledge comes exclusively from experience. He also thought that human knowledge does not extend beyond the capacity of human ideas, causing people to have a very narrow view of the world. This theory becomes especially important throughout the plot of The Matrix because all humans that are being controlled by the artificially intelligent beings have no other knowledgeable perception of the world that they are living in. The people are unable to comprehend the idea that their world may not be truly “real” because they have never had reason to question things. The humans were simply born into a world with an empty mind and no way to compare their questionable surrounding to anything but what is known, and what is known is only what is around …show more content…

Hume had the idea that cause and effect are purely illusions and when in reality God is the source of every action and apparent reaction. In the Matrix, the supreme “God-figure” is replaced by the race of intelligent beings that tyrannizes the humans. The apparent cause and effect seen in the Matrix only appears to make sense and follow a set of physical laws, when in reality it is only created by the God figures. Once this fact has been realized, it does not take long for Neo to defy the laws of physics in the virtual

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