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The Matrix Philosophy

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View the film: The Matrix and write about the following.
Write a two page essay regarding the Socratic & Platonic concepts that appear to you within the film. Please cite your sources so I can take a look as well. Please don't use wikipedia. thx =)

(philosophy isn't my best subject)

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the solution is a comprehensive 1,607 discussion of the philosophy proposed in the film 'The Matrix' as it relates to Socratic and Platonic concepts. References are listed for the purpose of expansion. a word version of the solution is attached for easy printing and digital use.

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Socratic & Platonic Ideas in 'The Matrix'

The Cave and the Matrix

I can easily recall that scene in 'The Matrix' (part 1 of the Trilogy) when Neo (played by Keanu Reeves) and Morpheus (played by Laurence Fishbourne) first meet. Trinity, the hacker 'found' Neo and brought him to see Morpheus where he was allowed to make a choice, to finally understand what 'the Matrix' is, it is of great interest to Neo for he had been seeking to find out what it is all his life. Neo - Mr. Anderson in 'real life' works as an employee of a massive corporation by day and is hacker by night. Growing discontent about his reality, he seeks knowledge via his computer skills which brings him to the attention of a group of crusading and notorious hackers led by Morpheus as well as by the authorities who find his code-breaking and database hacking a great risk to the order of society. It is in this room when the reality Neo knows unravels. Morpheus gives him a choice - if he took the 'blue pill' he will wake up 'in his bed and will believe whatever he wants to believe', if he took the 'red pill', he will, according to Morpheus 'stay in wonderland' where Morpheus will show Neo 'how far the rabbit hole goes'. Neo goes for the red pill and Morpheus adds - 'All I am offering is the truth, nothing more'.

This brings to mind the Socratic/Platonic idea of the 'Allegory of the Cave'. For Socrates, men are slaves, imprisoned in the cave, chained to its dark reality. To escape the prison of the cave, one has to seek knowledge which can be found in seeking the truth. Here Socrates/Plato explain that there are 2 worlds in existence - the sensible world, the world we see visible to us via our senses and through our experience, the one we perceive, the one in constant flux. The other world is the world of forms; it is transcendent and exists despite of us, universal and constant. It is a world only accessible to those who seek knowledge, who seek to understand the truth about what is real. As the sun allows man to perceive the sensible world, knowledge ...

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