Philosophy in Film - The Matrix Karina Morales-Castillo 11th Grade

Numerous precedents prevail for the idea that the ‘real world’ is an illusion. Wachowski’s ‘The Matrix’, a twisted, alluring and psychological tale, deeply explores the concept of fake and false realities, debating the real world and society’s understanding of what can be known. The main character in the film, Neo, is at length trapped in a fabricated reality created by corrupted artificial intelligence, as the movie undertakes the many philosophical influences that challenge what we perceive to be real, and what the real world is. Three of the most prevalent theories operating throughout ‘The Matrix’ and its storyline is, Plato’s allegory of the cave, Kant’s phenomenal and noumenal world, and Descartes ‘I think therefore I am’. Just as Morpheus says, “You take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole is”, and as Neo decides to jump down into the rabbit hole, the film significantly references and captures these three precedents to expose veracity.

Plato created a concept to ruminate on the nature of belief and knowledge. He states that there are people, chained from birth in a dark cave,...