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Essay / The philosophical inspirations of Plato and René Descartes used by the Wachowskis in the film Matrix
According to critical thinking and ethics, very few people are considered critical thinkers. Critical thinkers can think rationally about what to do or what to believe. Having an open mind is crucial to achieving this, as it gives a person the opportunity to consider other perspectives and learn from them. Unfortunately, most people don't want to accept the fact that they may be wrong. Author Charles Faraone says this could be due to a subconscious desire to have a constant flow of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is a type of chemical found in the brain that makes a person happy or excited. This is usually due to drugs, exercise, junk food, or sex. Studies have shown that being rejected can lead to decreased dopamine levels; what makes a person unhappy. Besides the subconscious, a person's reluctance to admit mistakes is understandable on an emotional level. It can be heartbreaking for someone to discover they were wrong about something they believed so strongly. The Matrix is a film filled with philosophical concepts that depict the struggle to question reality and the need to question what the truth is. no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay One of the philosophical concepts depicted in The Matrix was Plato's allegory of the cave. The purpose of the cave allegory was so that Plato could convey the importance of education and its lack in humanity. The story takes place with people trapped in a cave. They have lived there all their lives and know nothing about the outside world. The only source of knowledge they have are the shadows of objects shown in the light of a fire. These cave dwellers believe that shadows are sentient beings rather than illusions. Then one day, someone comes out of the cave and sees reality for the first time. He sees sunlight, the colors of nature, and animals and objects he once knew as mere shadows. Upon returning to the cave, he has difficulty seeing in the darkness like before. Once the man returns to the cave to share his enlightenment with others, he is immediately rejected. He begins to view the cave dwellers as inferior and misguided and vice versa. The others become angry at the truth he tells and end up plotting to kill him. In this allegory, the cave dwellers represent people before philosophy. The sun represents knowledge and leaving the cave symbolizes a more accurate understanding of the world. The Matrix depicts this story by questioning how people know what reality really is. How do people know that tastes, smells and colors exist? What is “real” could simply be electronic signals interpreted by the brain. It's about people living in a world that turns out to be a lie. Most humans are connected to a bunch of machines and mistakenly believe that what they see is real. The matrix symbolized the cave in which most people are comfortably confined. Unplugging from machines is like leaving the cave. Towards the end of the film, we discover that the current Matrix is an updated version of what was supposed to be a paradise for humans. Most people are unable to accept this as a reality since the real world has proven to be a desolate wasteland. As a result, many return to illusion after being enlightened. However,.