Introduction
Individuals hold different ideas regarding ‘reality.’ People base these concepts on sensorial perceptions, which mean that some of the experiences one holds about the world revolve around a deception, which prevents them from understanding the truth. Plato dug into the idea of sensorial deception in “The Cave” and “The Matrix,” which mimicked the story and explored realism of deception.
Question 1
The matrix raises questions relating to reality, which resemble those asked by Plato in “The Cave.” Plato asks readers to envision human beings as captives who live in a dark cave located underground. Furthermore, he insists that individuals live in this cave from infancy. Prisoners have chains around their necks that hinders them from seeing what lies ahead. A fire burns behind them, and it projects their shadows in front of them on the wall. The prisoners only know the reality of their shadows. When a captive receives freedom and loses the chains, he turns his head and the images overwhelm him with confusion. The free captive cannot identify the actual reality. The present realities overcome the past, but the freed captive lives in confusion. After receiving freedom, the individual fights with the thoughts of understanding his reality. A freed captive sees sunlight for the first time. Viewing aspects of nature such as sunlight enables the freeman to experience a new and true reality. Similarly, Matrix seeks to describe characters that live under illusion in the world. The illusion appears as a dream and arises from the deceiving pictures the characters have repeatedly been watching. In contrast, Plato and Matrix reflect on the justified evidence with reasons for supporting their faiths.
The differences revolve around the type of illusion presented in both contexts. In the cave, illusions occur due to the natural mechanism, which leads human being to perceive that their world revolves around their experiences. The matrix presents an oppressive system where individuals are placed into forced captivity. In addition, characters from the matrix may receive freedom at one point while those in the cave continue to live within the vicious cycle.
Question 2
Yes, individuals can prove that they world they experience is real. Looking at the bigger picture, people live in the real world because everyone holds a different experience from the other. For example, some individuals have learnt that only fighting can resolve the conflict while others uphold mediation and negotiations. In this light, individuals live upon the reality of their surroundings along with how they have grown up to believe. Realism develops due to the belief in a particular pattern. For example, the continuous viewing of shadows casted by the fire, which burned behind, caused the captives in the cave to perceive that as their reality. The shadows and fire had become their reality. Once a captive received a chance to taste freedom, it seemed like an illusion. In the matrix, Neo perceives that he lives in the real world. However, when he meets Morpheus, the concepts of reality begin to dawn upon him which leads him to view a different world altogether. The new feeling revolve around artificially intelligent individuals known as agents who seek to solve issues with Morpheus. Briefly, the realism in both contexts revolve around the beliefs held by the characters along with their experiences. Although individuals live in the real world, most have become prisoners who fail to see past the walls that confine them. The fact that everybody holds different perceptions and ideas regarding various events that occur on a continuous basis indicate that nobody lives in a matrix or a dream.
Question 3
Living in the reality is better than ignorance in a number of ways. An individual who accepts to live within the reality has a greater opportunity in changing some aspects of their reality. For example, accepting that one is poor gives them a chance to change that aspect. The individual may seek for a job or begin a personal venture. However, living under the illusion of ignorance limits progress from an individual. The illusion and ignorance make the individual to perceive that nothing better exists. Therefore, for one who lives under ignorance, they believe that they cannot change their situation. Having an acceptance for the reality enables and individual to develop ideas on how they may achieve a better situation.
Question 4
Much of the knowledge that individuals hold is based on their senses. However, one can determine that their beliefs are true by comparing with other individuals. Although deception may guide a person’s senses, comparing their reality with that of others enables them to distinguish between illusion and realism.
Conclusion
People hold different realities based on their experiences. However, the bigger picture enables an individual to determine whether they live in an illusion or are guided by deception. The captives base their reality on the shadows they view on the wall while Neo bases his reality on the experiences he goes through. Individuals base their knowledge and beliefs from their senses.
