Welcome to the Real World

Epicurean Friends Image Gallery

Welcome to the EpicureanFriends Image Gallery, where our Level 3 and above participants post and share images for public use in the teaching and promotion of Epicurean philosophy. Please limit contributions to those which directly relate and support the philosophy of Epicurus. Choose the topic to display by selecting from the "Categories" listed ( at left on a wide-screen device or in the footer below on a mobile device). To view the Latest Images, click here.

View Full Size

From The Matrix (1999).

So, so frequently, the Matrix (in The Matrix) is assumed represent either the cave of Platonism, or maya ("illusions") in Hindu Vedanta, in each case, the "real world" is equated with a sort of supreme otherworld. In fact, within the series, the protagonists awaken into a physical world, full of sweaty people and dirty machines, all bound by the laws of physics.

I think The Matrix is better as an Epicurean tale (supposing that the simulation is superstitious programming).

Comments 1

Julia

October 23, 2024 at 11:20 PM

I fully agree with your take on it!

The Wachowskis (who created the movie series), welcome people's own interpretations of it, in the sense that art is communication, and communication ends with the recipients interpretation, the recipients meaning-making of what their senses witnessed. I haven't watched it since its initial release, but from what I recall, as is common for the sci-fi genre, it eclectically drew from all sorts of cultural sources, merging them into something new. However, what the Wachowskis have since said is that they wanted the protagonist and viewer to experience a deconstruction, evaluation, and (modified) reconstruction of their model of what is real, such that – and I quote – "it asks you to actually participate in the construction of meaning" – and I would say Epicurean philosophy could be characterised using the same words.

Anecdote: When I was forced to attend a state school, the authorities' Christianist priests, who up until then were busy lecturing about the dangers of Satanism and – oddly enough – popular superstitions, had a lot to say about how Biblical this movie series is. There was even a book to that effect, and as we all know they don't just let anyone write a book, so it must be true!