“An unexamined life is a life not worth living” - Socrates. Both ‘The Matrix’ and Plato’s allegory of ‘The Cave’ develops a question of reality and how the world is perceived. This can be closely connected to one of the great Greek philosopher’s sayings where an “unexamined life is a life not worth living”. Socrates states this due to the increasing number of citizens who lived their lives without questioning the world around them. ‘The Matrix’ and Plato’s allegory explore how when the world is properly examined the outcome is a new understanding and perception of life.
In ‘The Matrix’ and Plato’s allegory of the cave the protagonists are exposed to a new reality that entails an unknown environment that seems to be unrealistic and impossible. In order to understand what they are seeing they have to accept that the new reality is more feasible than the one they previously lived in. ‘The Matrix’ portrays the protagonist, Neo, as a man who is a prisoner to a computer program without realizing there is another reality other than the one he is trapped in. When he is exposed to the truth and is forced out of his comfortable ignorance into a seemingly impossible reality it requires a tremendous effort to accept it. In the first stages of Neo’s discovery he is confronted by Morpheus who states, “I imagine you must feel a bit like Alice, tumbling down the rabbit hole”. This quote perfectly embodies how Neo is feeling the new reality. He is confused, scared and uncomfortable with the new environment he is being introduced to in the story. Although after a
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This message entails people's outlook on reality and the perception that is presented to them. Overall I believe that Plato’s allegory has proved to exemplify a more effective transition from illusion to reality due to its relatability to Socrates message depicting human perception and