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The cat is on the mat.
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The feline is sitting on the rug. We’ve talked a lot about the Matrix over the years which makes sense as it’s a sci-fi film dealing with the relationship between technology and capitalism inspired by ancient Greek philosophy and 20th century French Theory and also Keanu. While we thought we’d said all that we needed to about the film, things are feeling a bit different these days, so we wanted to do a quick revisit to some of the film’s themes.
One of the Matrix’s key questions, would it be better to live in an ideal simulation or a dystopian reality, is now way more poignant with advancements in technologies like AI, digital media, and Zuckerberg’s life mission to make us all live in his weird beige VR world. While Neo’s virtual reality was basically office space except not funny, ours seems like it could be way better.
But even with all of these advances, when asked, most people still say they’d opt for a mediocre meat life over a digital life of wonder. Now, in fairness, they’re being asked this by grad students giving surveys and not dudes that look like Lawrence Fishburn with pills in their hands.
But even if people say they want to remain unplugged, their actions paint a different picture. We’re spending more and more time in digital and virtual spaces and way less time raw dogging reality. So do we really value authenticity over pleasure and comfort? Is VR slowly becoming better than reality? And can philosophy help us figure it all out?
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When the Matrix premiered in 1999, its central question was is it better to live in the machine-ruled real world or stay plugged into the Matrix, an illusory computer-generated reality? We may never know the answer, but with Guardio, we can protect ourselves from the dangers of the internet. the experience machine indicative of the same thing that made the Matrix so popular the idea that something is missing from our lives and that technology can’t provide it
According to Vox writer Emily St James, the 1999 film The Matrix captured a growing sense that nothing was real and everything was manipulated on some level. This sentiment has only grown in the 24 years since the movie’s release. In her essay, St James argues that The Matrix is probably the most famous movie of a micro generation of films she calls “End of History movies”. These films pointed to the idea that the end of history in Liberal democracy may be built on shaky foundations.
Philosopher Robert Nozick came up with a thought experiment called “The Experience Machine” in his 1974 book Anarchy, State and Utopia, which largely argued against Hedonism. This thought experiment offers another take on the Matrix debate. In it, Nozick describes a machine that would give you any experience you desired, simulating the feeling of writing a great novel, making a friend, or reading an interesting book.
Nozick’s experiment sounds similar to The Matrix, but there are some crucial differences. In the movie, the virtual reality isn’t designed for pleasure, but to keep human brains distracted while they’re hooked up to tubes fueling their robot overlords. It’s also forced upon individuals without their consent. In Nozick’s scenario, the virtual reality is entered into voluntarily by benevolent neuroscientists.
In one survey, 84 percent of participants refused the offer of the experience machine, which allows them to have the best experiences they can imagine. This means that for many people, there must be something, perhaps reality itself, that is valuable in addition to the fields of experiences.
As we move towards a more digital existence every day, it’s unclear if the survey results indicating that we don’t want to jump into the experience machine are indicative of the same thing that made The Matrix so popular - the idea that something is missing from our lives and that technology can’t provide it.