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The Matrix
Since the 1980s, postmodernism has been one of the significant theories as it criticizes
modernity. Postmodernism denies direct access to the truth. For Foucault, knowledge does not
identify correlations between visible identities, but classifies and normalizes view, hence making
people and making things manageable. Knowledge therefore is not a stable element, as it can
change. Adopting the claim to the concepts of sovereign quality or anarchy means that they are
not actual truths.
While modernism argues that there is no relation of knowledge and power and that
absolute truth exists, post modernism refutes the claim of absolute truth. Foucault argues that
power influences knowledge, hence no truth can exist outside power [CITATION Con13 \p 41 \l
1033 ]. The film Matrix has different clues on postmodernism. Its setting is in a postmodern
world. The first scene of the movie for instance in the movie Trinity has superhuman abilities
that the police think is impossible. When Neo wakes up in the next scene, his computer is
already hacked. Neo picks up a book written by Jean Baudrillard that explains the correlation
between reality, symbols and the society. The scene also shows skeptism in postmodernism.
Neo has a postmodern thinking and often questions the world. The film shows a future where
the matrix is, he actually reality human beings believe in, a reality created by machines to subdue
human beings. When Neo learns about the reality, he rebels against the machines.
‘The Matrix,’ adopts several ancient philosophies about the truth, one of them being,
Plato’s Allegory of the cave. While the film attempts to mirror the allegory’s similar structure, its
storyline is more complex. Neo, is trapped in a false reality created by computer programs in an
attempt to take over the earth [CITATION And14 \p 14 \l 1033 ] . Similar to the prisoners in the cave,
Neo is chained to a wall and machines are harvesting his body heat as their source of power. In
Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, prisoners need to accept the truth around them, so that they gain
knowledge and comprehend the reality in the cave, and that outside the cave. In both stories, a
greater power is in control. In Plato’s allegory, the prisoners are controlled by the cave while
Neo is controlled by the Matrix.
Truth seems to be hidden by the Matrix in the film. Created by artificial intelligence, the
Matrix manages to keep the truth away from humanity. Human beings live a convincing
simulating life while the machines harvest energy from them and uses it to power themselves.
The movie portrays two views on reality; the true world and the Matrix world. In the Matrix
world, individuals seem to live a normal life, running their daily errands but are in a simulated
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world in reality. Individuals living in the Matrix are unaware of their current state due to their
choice and ignorance, as they do not strive to look for answers like Neo. On the other and, the
computer hackers hold the underlying truth, as they are aware of the Matrix.
The film references Christianity in that Neo is compared to Jesus Christ, the savior. Neo
is portrayed as the savior, meant to save human beings from the Matrix. Morpheus is closely
associated with John the Baptist from the bible, as he comes to prepare way for the savior
[CITATION For16 \p 1 \l 1033 ] . Cypher on the other hand is associated with Judas, a disciple of
Jesus Christ, in the new testament, as he betrays Neo just as Judas betrayed the Jesus. The death
of Neo and his resurrection at the end of the film, alludes to the death and resurrection of Jesus in
the Christian gospel.
The Matrix also references to Buddhism. The fil is parallel to samsara, an endless life
cycle where human beings are caught in bondage, based on their ignorance. Most Buddhists
want to run away from the cynical pattern of eternal pain and doom, for they believe that it is
possible. The state of Karma in Buddhism states that whatever situation individuals are in is as a
result of their doing. Since the condition is self-created, individuals must struggle to free
themselves [CITATION For16 \p 1 \l 1033 ]. The Matrix is made of digital projections made from
human beings who have the software attached to their bodies. However, the individuals are
ignorant of the software. Buddha is believed to have freed himself from the bondage and
ignorance of karma. Neo, similar to Buddha, finds himself free from the Matrix, once he is
reborn and enlightened.
The film, Matrix, is a reference of Baudrillard philosophy, to show that the movie is an
allegory of a highly commercialized media-driven society, especially in the developed countries.
Foucault’s philosophy revolves around the relationship of power and knowledge. He uses the
concept of power and knowledge in his studies for social control in societies [CITATION Dal14 \p
151 \l 1033 ]. The film is related to Foucault’s notion of power in that, the choice of the blue or
red pill as the movie begins is a choice of power. The battle of power exists between human
beings and machines in the real word. The battle is also fight against inequality. The placement
of people in the Matrix by the robots is also a way of developing social control.
Work Cited
Andersen, Nathan. Shadow Philosophy: Plato's Cave and Cinema. Routledge, 2014.
Constable, Catherine. "Adapting philosophy: Jean Baudrillard and The matrix trilogy." (2013).
Daldal, Asli. "Power and ideology in Michel Foucault and Antonio Gramsci: A comparative
analysis." Review of History and Political Science (2014): 149-167.
Ford, James L. "Buddhism, Christianity, and The Matrix: the dialectic of myth-making in
contemporary cinema." Journal of Religion & Film (2016): 1.