Plato, And Descartes: A Comparative Analysis

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The Matrix, Plato, and Descartes question the reliability of perception and senses when discerning whether reality is true or not. In addition, they The Matrix is the story of the human race lying unconscious in machines while their brains are connected to a computer in which creates a virtual reality (The Matrix, 1999). In Plato’s allegory of the cave, Plato asks Glaucon to imagine that humans are chained to a wall, and if freed would they know the difference between reality and the shadows on the wall (Plato, n.d.). Descartes (1641) doubted that his senses could be trusted, and questioned if his life was a dream. The difference between all three is the sources of their deception. Morpheus tells Neo truth that his life is a lie, and …show more content…
159) take this question of certainty a step further, by stating that even though we do not have absolute certainty, this does not mean we know nothing. At times one fails to understand why things are the way they are. The reason is that our senses fail us, and because of the lack of relevant data or our reasoning is incorrect (Dew & Foreman, 2014, p. 159). There also is the factor that our minds are unable to go “as far as we would like to go” (Dew & Foreman, 2014, p. 159). There is a high level of certainty called logic and absolute certainty (Dew & Foreman, 2014, p. 161). At this level, belief is impossible to doubt. Some examples are: logical statements, self-evident truths, or many mathematical propositions” (McGrath as cited in Dew & Foreman, 2014, p. 161). Such examples are “2 +2 =4, or all triangles have three sides” (McGrath as cited in Dew & Foreman, 2014, p. 161). It is impossible for these to be untrue. Another level is probabilistic certainty, for example “The sun will rise tomorrow” (McGrath as cited in Dew & Foreman, 2014, p. 161). Even though this is universal truth, it is possible that tomorrow the sun will not rise. Therefore, one cannot claim certainty that this will happen (McGrath as cited in Dew & Foreman, 2014, p. 161). Another level is called “sufficient certainty” (McGrath as cited in Dew & Foreman, 2014, p. 162). When one has sufficient certainty, it is because there is good evidence that the belief is true and there is no one to defeat the belief (Dew & Foreman, 2014, p.

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