Fate And Free Will In The Matrix And The Matrix

“There is no such thing as accident; it is fate misnamed.” These words from the infamous Napoleon Bonaparte express his view on fate, free will, and by which the universe plays. His statement argues that fate drives the occurrences we encounter. He, and many others, like to believe that the universe has some sort of purpose and will do what it takes to bring about its plan. They believe that no matter a person’s decisions and actions, they will end up where they are supposed to be because of fate. However, many people do not agree; often Americans and others that value free-will choices and human power to make and change their own lives and believe their futures are in their own hands. Obviously, these are two unique ways to look at life. This is not a new battle, though. People have been fighting with the idea of fate versus free will for centuries, even back to the works of Sophocles around 400 BC. More recent thinkers have contributed their thoughts, such as Pierre Laplace and his “demon” in the 18th century. The argument has manifested itself into modern day literature as well, as the 1999 film The Matrix exhibits. The Matrix explores fate versus free will as the characters and events in the

The oracle prophesies what each character will do. She told Morpheus that he will find the One; Trinity, a member of the resistance team, that she will fall in love with a dead man who will be the One; and Neo that he has “got the gift,” but he is not the one (The Matrix 1.08.03). Morpheus and Trinity’s fates may be true, but it seems that, according to the ending of the movie, Neo’s fate is not. So, a couple of scenarios may be true if fate runs the show. If free will rules, however, another interpretation may be more accurate. Depending on your interpretation of the movie, fate and free will carry different