Ignorance In Plato's The Allegory Of The Cave

The answer to this question is ironically, a question. Everyone is living, but there is a difference between being alive and truly living. This idea formulates the question, do you want to live, or do you want to live? Ignorance may be seen as bliss but that does not mean that the individual is living their life with purpose. Typically, those who choose to remain ignorant will accomplish extremely little in their lifetime due to their refusal to accept reality. In the wise words of Martin Luther King Jr., “nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance...” Cypher’s decision to choose ignorance cost him his life, and while it is arguable that Neo’s life is in greater danger to due his rebellion, it is better to acknowledge what

In The Matrix, humans live in a computer simulation known as “the Matrix.” Their bodies are sustained by a machine and their minds are “connected to a powerful computer in which a programmed simulation of the world is running,” subsequently, humans are merely living in an imitation of a real life (The Matrix). Neo, the main character of the movie, always suspected that there was something off about his life, but it is not until he meets Morpheus, the leader of a group who is trying to help others learn about the deceiving world, that the true reality is revealed to him. In Plato’s “The Allegory of the Cave”, two characters, Socrates and Glaucon, discuss a hypothetical group of people who have very little knowledge of the world, due to the position of their bodies. They believe that “reality to be nothing else than the shadows of the artificial objects” (Plato, “The Allegory of the Cave”). It is not until the curtain is pulled back to reveal true reality, that the characters can begin to experience life. The major difference between The Matrix and Plato’s “The Allegory of the Cave” is what the characters do when they discover this false reality. Neo, the main character in The Matrix, makes it his responsibility to show everyone else that they are living a false reality. In the cave allegory, Plato believes that if one of the individuals was freed and experienced true reality,

In the movie, The Matrix, Neo realizes that “the Matrix” puts him into a dreamlike state that makes his actions seem real. However, Neo soon discovers that everything he sees, feels, and hears is not actually real, but the computer that is connected to his mind makes him believe it is. Not only can he not trust his surroundings, but Neo is also unable to trust his senses, since what he is experiencing is only occurring in his dream state. Neo may think he can feel the light breeze ruffling his hair, but it is only a simulation. Descartes’ proposes that in the dreamworld, “the opening of the eyes, the motion of the head, the forth- putting of the hands--are merely illusions” (Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy). The actions previously mentioned affect humans’ sense perceptions, but Descartes believes that in the dream world our senses are nothing more than illusions, and therefore cannot be trusted. Human senses make the individual believe that they are experiencing a true reality, when it is actually a distorted reality. An important difference between The Matrix and Descartes’ “Meditation I” is who is controlling the dream world. Descartes’ dream world is controlled by a malignant demon who wishes to deceive him. Neo’s dream world is regulated by the powerful computer simulator. Another difference is that after Descartes declares the actions he mentions as an illusion, he