Plato and the Matrix

Descartes, Plato, and the Matrix
Name
Institution
Descartes, Plato, and the Matrix
Comparing and Contrasting the Matrix with Readings from Descartes and Plato
The three pieces of art are excellent in the manner in which they portray the lives of the characters. A comparison of the works brings out several similarities and differences in the manner in which the characters viewed their lives. They have many questions about the reality they live in by having the thoughts that someone might be manipulating them. The characters in the Matrix, Plato’s Cave and Descartes finally meet the people who had been manipulating their lives after being free. They had been manipulated from childhood, which leaves them with no experience about the real reality in life. In the Matrix, Neo is fed with images, which keep him in dreamland (Wachowski, 1999). In the Allegory of the Cave, the prisoners are exposed to images generated from shadows of their keepers by fire. They live to believe that indeed the images were real. Moreover, the characters in the three works find it difficult to believe that they lived a lie throughout their lives. For instance, Neo disputes that the matrix existed but accepts later after being convinced about its existence.
There are differences found in the three literary works with regard to the how the characters view life. There is a difference on how the characters discover the false reality in which they live. Prisoners in the Cave Allegory are free at the will of their masters.

Later, they begin to view the reality of life after a period of adjustment and socializing with other people. They appreciate the uniqueness of this new reality and pity those who are left in the cave. In the Matrix, Neo doubts the reality he believes in before he realizes that he lived a lie. He is given a chance to live true reality or remain in the reality he knows. He chooses to live the true reality and returns to explain the true reality to those still stuck in the false reality. Neo is trapped in a false reality via the use of a computer whereas, in Plato’s Cave, the prisoner is tied with chains. On the other hand, Descartes identifies the evil as the one who commits deceptions in the world in spite of being normal. In this case, Descartes seems to understand the position he is in more than Neo and the Plato’s cave. This latter two have no idea of the deception they have lived in until their captures freed them. Further, he identifies it as a Mephistophelian demon.
Can we prove the World we Experience is real? How do we recognize we are Not Dreaming, Living in a Platonic Cave, or Trapped in Some Sort of Matrix?
In order to prove the true nature of the world we live in, it is important to look at the spiritual and human flesh part of life. In the spiritual concept, people believe about many things even though they have never seen them. For instance, Christians believe in God and the creation theory, even though no one has ever seen the two. Some of the things that happen in people’s daily lives are a manifestation of the spiritual faiths that they possess. On the other hand, some people do not believe something until they see and feel it. On this part, the human flesh must be convinced about the issue by viewing, touching, and smelling. After being convinced, a person distinguishes dreams from reality. However, it depends on the nature in which a person views issues to determine whether they are dreaming. In the Platonic Cave and the Matrix, the characters stopped living in dreams after being released and being convinced about the true reality. However, it depends on the nature in which a person views issues to determine whether they are dreaming.
In the Platonic Cave and the Matrix, the characters stopped living in dreams after being released and being convinced about the actual reality. For instance, in the Matrix, the prisoner believed that where he lived was a real manifestation of reality. However, after being released, he discovered that he was living in a dream. He confirmed with his eyes that indeed there was more than met the eye in the real world. This is the moment that the body helps an individual differentiate a dream from the reality. In addition, after the prisoner in the Platonic Cave gained freedom, he moved away and chose not to go back to the cave again. This can be construed to indicate that indeed the prisoner stopped living in a dream.
Reference
Wachowski, A. &. (Director). (1999). The Matrix [Motion Picture].