Matrix: A Philosophical Interpretation Of The Movie The Matrix

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The Matrix: A Philosophical Interpretation
The movie “The Matrix” contains a very diverse philosophical structure and has many philosophical points, first discussed by philosophers like Plato and Descartes, throughout the movie. Some of these points consist of skepticism of reality, which relates heavily to Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave”. The movie also addresses the mind-body problem by showing that the “Matrix” is only taking place in the mind/computer program and the body is actually in a pod not experiencing anything. The mind-body discussion ties into a point covered throughout the movie about not trusting your senses. Plato and Descartes address this in some of their works and they overcome this issue by proving certainty through scientific or mathematical reasoning. While the movie most likely gained so much attention for its action packed scenes and science fiction plot, there is a lot you can gain on a philosophical level by watching the film.
What philosophical issues of skepticism are depicted in the movie? The biggest philosophical issue of skepticism depicted in the Matrix can be broken down to two questions. What is real and can/how do we know what is real? These questions come from a metaphysics and epistemology focus for the duration of the film. Throughout the movie the leading actor NEO, Keanu Reaves, struggles with these questions and to decide is the world around him or his senses real. These questions make skepticism the basic philosophical theme of the Matrix. In a philosophical sense, skepticism questions the nature of reality and whether we can ever actually know anything at all or determine for a fact what is reality. This theme is played out in the conflict between the reality where humans a...

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...d how do we know what is real, from the viewer. This keeps the actors and the viewer as skeptics throughout the movie. The mind-body problem, which concludes mind/soul and brain are one in the same. In addition, that the brain does direct the body, but the senses can deceive both. The Matrix also shows similarities between the Matrix and works from Plato and Descartes. They include Plato’s Allegory of the Cave or shadows of reality and Descartes Meditation where he talks of illusions. These both compare to the Matrix because of the “illusion” that most of the world lives in, called the Matrix. In this Matrix there are also “shadows”, or glitches in the Matrix, of reality that sometimes present themselves. These issues and similarities show there is a lot you can gain on a philosophical level by watching the film, while still enjoying an action packed film.

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