Comparing The Matrix: The Allegory Of The Cave

Whilst comparing The Matrix, The Allegory of the Cave by Plato and Meditations I by Descartes there are several things to note. The most prevalent similarity between these three is the idea of reality versus illusion. The same metaphysical question continues to arise whilst reading the three works: “What is real?” There is a fine line between what is actually occurring versus what is actually deception of the mind. In The Matrix, Neo, the main character, accidently stumbles upon finding out that the entire human race is laying unconscious, hooked up to wires and their minds being controlled by a large computer. They are all living in a virtual world and are playing out mock simulations coordinated by the computer. This simulation is called the “Matrix” (“Synopsis: The Matrix,” n.d.). In The Allegory of the Cave, the prisoners reason that the shadows of the cave are in fact objects of reality. They also hear the echo of their voices against the cave as the voices of the shadows talking back to them. They have confused reality with illusion (Plato. …show more content…
One major difference is that the idea of delusion I all different from other another. While reading The Matrix we see that it is a computer controlling the minds of the humans versus The Allegory of the Cave in which the own person’s mind is being deceitful to the human body because of the surroundings they have been placed in. One is simply a simulation while the other one illusion is simply occurring, in the real world, because of the situation they have been placed in. Meditations I states that the human brain might be in a state of dreaming and realized that it is in fact dreaming but does not want to wake up from the dream state to face reality. This one differs from both of the others because some people are able to tell that they are dreaming and do not want to wake while the other two believe that the life they are living and senses they are using are real and not a