The Paradigm Shift

I was recently asked during my interview with Eurofash blog, why I thought film was an extraordinary medium. It seems retrospectively that only twice in my life, have I seen films so extraordinary that they changed my perspective on life; the second of these was Cloud Atlas. The first of these was The Matrix a film which, although later spoiled by its two sequels, still stands at the pinnacle of science fiction, and is one of the greatest original films of our generation. The film looks at our world in new and refreshing ways, and magnificently combines science fiction, philosophy, and martial arts. The matrix is based upon the premise that the world in which we live, is but a computer program, and that human beings live as slaves who are used simply as a power source.

The Matrix has been shown yearly in philosophy classes just before Christmas for the past decade. Despite being a kick-ass action film, it actually contains some pretty deep philosophy. The film presents us with a world which appears pretty much like our own, people drive cars, use cell phones and have computers, and for the most, the world seems normal, except for one man. A hacker; Thomas Anderson, AKA Neo, feels as if something is wrong with the world, but he cannot explain his uneasiness. He finally meets a man named Morpheus, who explains that the world as we know it is nothing more than a computer program and that the human race has become enslaved by a group of machines, and everyone lives in pods, linked into a program known as ‘The Matrix’.

The film is an homage to Asian martial arts films and ‘wire-fu’ films, the film is visually inspired by Japanese animation, and popularized a technique known as Bullet time, in which motion is slowed down, and yet the camera moves at normal speed. The film is a visual treat, and the real world is clearly differentiated from the matrix, with the color green being highlighted in the matrix, and the color blue being more present in the real world. The film is differentiated from other science fiction films as it lacks the clean sleek look of many other films of this genre, and the ships in the film are messy, with exposed wires, grime and patched metal.

Philosophically, the films overall premise takes liberal inspiration principally from Plato’s allegory of the cave. The overall premise of the film is that the world as we know is not conferred to us not by our senses, not by what we can taste, or see or touch, but rather by its quality. Plato describes how people who do not know the true meaning of the world, they merely see shadows projected onto the wall in front of them, and as they do not know the true nature of their world, they perceive the shadows to be reality. In The Matrix, people who do not know what their world is composed of, perceive it to be reality, and are thus trapped by their false perception. In his allegory of the cave, Plato describes how a man who frees themselves, and who then comes back into the cave will be mocked and ridiculed, and that his fellow men won’t believe him. Neo himself acts in disbelief upon seeing the true nature of The Matrix, and upon discovering the truth almost has a nervous breakdown and becomes catatonic with fear and disbelief. The Matrix is also inspired by Descartes first meditation, the notion that the whole world may be a projection by an evil demon, and that we may be being deceived.

An idea which is also philosophically explored, and which was also explored by Descartes, is the idea that our senses may be misleading us, Morpheus describes how the Matrix is ‘a prison that you cannot see, taste our touch’, and describes how the Matrix is all around us. The irony is that The Matrix doesn’t actually exist, and that even though it surrounds us, it only exists in our mind. Our senses are only electrical signals in our brain, and Morpheus describes how reality is variable, and at one point Neo states that this can’t be, to which Morpheus replies; ‘Be what, be real?’

The Matrix is essentially a computer program, and Morpheus describes to Neo that the rules one encounters in the Matrix, rules that one might encounter in the real world such as gravity and newton’s laws of motion are only as variable as the rules of a computer system, and thus can be broken. The interesting fact is that only those who know the true nature of the Matrix are able to bend its rules, and thus only those who are consciousness of the true nature of ‘reality’ can bend it to their will. The film deals with the idea of the nature of strength, and Morpheus states that his strength in the Matrix has nothing to do with his muscles, as Mouse points out Neo’s neurokinetics, as a sign of his strength. The film also deals with the idea of fate; Neo tells the Oracle that he doesn’t believe in fate because he is in control of his own life. By her nature the very idea of an oracle suggests the existence of fate, as prediction of the future depends on the future being ready planned out.

Another major theme discussed within The Matrix is the idea of ignorance or knowledge. The allegory of the red pill and the blue pill involves a choice which is not based on knowledge. Morpheus tells Neo that no one can be told what the matrix is, and that they must see it for themselves, he is then told to choose between the red pill and the blue pill. To choose between ignorance and knowledge, whatever the consequences may be. Cypher tells Neo that he wishes he had chosen the blue pill, and when tasting a piece of steak with the agents, he states that even though he knows that the steak doesn’t really exist, and that the matrix is telling his brain that it is delicious, that ignorance is bliss and that it is better not to know the true nature of the world. Trinity on the other hand feels that it is always better to know the truth, and that Morpheus set her free when he helped her to escape from the Matrix. This idea of ignorance and knowledge is something which is also explored in Plato’s allegory of the cave. Plato argues that many of the souls confined in the cave are not ready to be freed, and that if a free man goes back into the cave and attempts to free the rest, they will ridicule and mock him, and that only a man strong enough has the courage to leave the cave and the strength to look into the light, and that the other souls will be blinded if they tried to look into the fire. Plato is essentially talking about enlightenment and knowledge in a traditional philosophical sense, however this allegory extends equally well to the idea of knowledge about our world and the forces that guide it.

Despite being a hard core sci-fi action film, The Matrix actually contains some rather complex pieces of philosophy although being a little derivative. The Matrix never pretends to be an original piece of philosophy, or indeed a philosophical work, however what is does exceptionally well, is that it repackages enlightened philosophical ideas for a modern audience, and presents these ideas in ideas which are relevant to the new millennium. The film is a visually daring, action packed treat, and is not only one of the greatest science fiction films of the last decades, but one of the greatest films of all time.