Philosophy Reflection - Essay Example

Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” and The Matrix express the theory that more than one reality exists. Appearance does not always represent reality. Theethical implications are people should be judged by their own personal reality level instead of across the board laws. Both of these works explore the nature of knowledge by presenting different examples of reality. Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” and The Matrix give examples of the different realities. While different realities are possible through perception, I do not believe in a Matrix or other world experience.

Reality is here on Earth during our lifetime.Reality as I believe it to be and as shown in “Allegory of the Cave” and The Matrix is a personal experience. The people standing on the wall in the cave in “Allegory of the Cave” live the shadow reality. The people on the walk above them live in the reality of the sun. This is a reality of perception. In The Matrix people live in a matrix of make believe that is perceived to be real or unplugged in the reality of Zion. Once again the reality is a personal experience.

Neo experienced both realities after receiving knowledge of Zion.The two stories take a different opinion on transferring to a different reality. Plato believed the prisoner that went into the light would want to return to darkness, but would not be able to adapt back in the cave. The prisoner would want things the way it was before being freed. In The Matrix Neo did not want to go back into the matrix after being unplugged. Not only did Neo not want to go back, he embraced the new knowledge of his reality to become more than what he was in the matrix.

The prisoner remained the same, but Neo evolved. In my opinion, I believe it depends on the person and circumstances if a person remains the same or evolves.If different realities exist, different ethical implications would apply. For example, Neo was trying to free humans from the matrix. In Zion, Neo was a hero, but in the matrix he was an outlaw. The prisoner in the cave was being punished or jailed, but in the light the prisoner was free. Laws in Zion, the matrix, cave, and outside the cave were different.

For example, in Zion people were allowed to go into the matrix to fight, but not to have a pleasurable life. In the matrix people were not allowed to know they could be unplugged. In the cave people played games about the shadows due to their immobility. The people outside the cave moved about freely. It would not be fair to judge Neo in Zion about things done in the matrix and vice versa. The same would apply to the prisoner in and out of the cave. Laws and ethics should apply to the reality in which the citizens live.

Exploring reality was done in both works, but as mentioned before the stories differ. “The Allegory of the Cave” believes that a person would not want to know a different reality but their own. The Matrix believes a person would want to know different realities. The nature of knowledge in these stories is polar opposite. The prisoner did not want to explore the aspects of knowledge to reach a different reality; he craved the known reality. Neo wanted to reach a different reality. The more knowledge the better was Neo’s outlook.

Once again this goes back to a personal reality. After comparing and contrasting these two stories and reflecting on the questions asked at the beginning of the course, I have come to a different understanding about certain questions and remain firm on others. There are different realities here on Earth. There is no knowledge that other realities like the matrix, heaven, hell, and so forth exist. I am less sure that the soul cannot exist without the body. Humans do have freewill, but it is based on circumstances.

For example, the prisoner could go into the light or turn back around in Plato’s cave, but all he knew was the dark. The circumstances of being imprisoned his whole life make the choice to turn back into the darkness the only one for the prisoner. It was of his own freewill, but the only choice for him due to his reality. I believe reality is a personal experience no one but the individual can experience. This applies to twins, siblings, and so forth. Since no human can have the exact same experiences with the same emotions, reality is very personal.

BibliographyPlato. (n.d.). The Allegory of the Cave. In The Republic. Wachowski, A. and L. Wachowski (Directors). (1999). The Matrix [Motion Picture].