What's so bad about the Matrix?

[capt_weasle]

So I was wasting time click-surfing Wikipedia when I stumbled across the entries about "The Matrix." Having remembered the scene in the film where one of the soon-to-be antagonists is describing how he enjoys living in the matrix over being "unplugged" and helping the rebellion against the machines, I can't help but sympathize with him. Would living in the Matrix be so bad? Imagine your that life, as it is now, is really a computer simulation and that in the real world machines are using your body as an energy source. Would you prefer living your life as is? Or would you rather break free of the simulation and emerge into a war-torn wasteland? Would you be fine living a lie when you know living in reality would mean the high possibility of being gutted by a sentient blender? Discuss.

[t̷s͢uk̕a͡t͜ư]

Interesting. Not an hour ago, I wrote in massive letters on my whiteboard, "STOP OVERTHINKING THINGS AND ENJOY WHAT YOU HAVE."

[bobaganuesh_2]

I barely know anything about existentialism; as far as that knowledge goes, one must determine one's metaphysical existence before determining the purpose of such existence. Compromising either leads to anguish; both Neo and Cypher seem to understand this. They've submitted themselves to their self-defined roles in the grand scheme of things and inevitably fulfill their "destinies," something something teleos. Agent Smith doesn't have an identity, changes purposes various times, etc etc I haven't watched the movies in a while and am merely trying to kick off the conversation here.

Also, there was a picture of the frame with Morpheus holding the battery in today's biology lecture, relating to cellular respiration.

[BEAR_LORD]

I LIKED THE FIRST MATRIX WELL ENOUGH. I THOUGHT THE ACTION SCENES WERE REALLY COOL, LIKE THAT BIT WITH THE BULLETS? BULLETS ARE A KNOWN ENEMY TO BEARS.

ONE OF MY BEAR UNDERLINGS SAID HE THOUGHT THE MOVIE WAS REALLY DEEP BUT I NEVER GOT THAT. IT WAS AN ACTION BLOCKBUSTER, RIGHT? SO WHEN THE SEQUELS CAME OUT, I DEMANDED THAT ALL BEARS SEE THESE FLICKS.

THEIR RESPONSE WAS RAGE. HOW COULD I MAKE THEM GO AND SEE THIS INFERIOR MOVIE? WHAT WAS THE PURPOSE OF IT ALL? WHAT DID THAT DUDE WITH ALL THE TV'S MEAN? YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT MOST OF THEM HAD NEVER SEEN A TV BEFORE SO THAT SCENE WAS OVERWHELMING.

ANYWAY, I GUESS MY POINT IS THAT THE MOVIES WERE PRETTY GREAT. IT WOULD BE COOL IF THERE WAS SOME SORT OF BEAR MATRIX; I WONDER IF THE ROBOTS HARVEST THE ENERGY OF BEAR'S BRAINS?

AND TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, IF I HAD TO LIVE IN THE MATRIX, I'D PROBABLY LIVE IN THE MATRIX RELOADED.

[Vyacheslav]

[t̷s͢uk̕a͡t͜ư]

you're comic makes nosense
why does the girl does not have braest

[Rose]

I just saw The Matrix for the first time last week, and to be honest, I didn't really like the movie. :o

And before you ask, I don't have any pie.

[Tanner]

I just saw The Matrix for the first time last week, and to be honest, I didn't really like the movie. :o

And before you ask, I don't have any pie.

You're probably jaded from the hundreds of movies you've watched that were influenced by The Matrix.

[Spawn of Yanni]

I just saw The Matrix for the first time last week,

At the risk of having that sort of typical response... this is extremely odd.

[Rose]

I just saw The Matrix for the first time last week, and to be honest, I didn't really like the movie. :o

And before you ask, I don't have any pie.

You're probably jaded from the hundreds of movies you've watched that were influenced by The Matrix.

Yeah, this is possible (except for the "hundreds" part; I've probably watched fewer than 30 movies in my life). I mean, I enjoyed some parts, but it never really engaged me.

[Tanner]

I just saw The Matrix for the first time last week, and to be honest, I didn't really like the movie. :o

And before you ask, I don't have any pie.

You're probably jaded from the hundreds of movies you've watched that were influenced by The Matrix.

Yeah, this is possible (except for the "hundreds" part; I've probably watched fewer than 30 movies in my life). I mean, I enjoyed some parts, but it never really engaged me.

At the risk of editorializing, this renders your opinion on the matter pretty much worthless or at least extremely uneducated.

[Scrivener]

I think that what we don't know and essentially cannot know, we cannot allow to influence our actions or worries/plans. Therefore by some definitions, it doesn't even matter whether or not you're in the matrix. I agree with you wholeheartedly and am glad to see I'm not the only one who thinks like this, as my family thinks I'm crazy.

[iangb]

I think the point was that in the Matrix Neo et al realised that The Matrix wasn't real. If the illusion was perfect and you never knew then it wouldn't matter - but they knew that there wasn't something right with the world. Living in something that you instinctively know isn't quite right would be a pain.

Hence my dissatisfaction with the ending of Inception:

Spoiler

If the illusions was real and he really was in a dream, it doesn't matter - he'll live a happy dream, inevitably die in-dream and wake up in RL again. If he's actually awake at the end of the film, there's no problem anyway. It's like ending the film with "...but did he really have free will?"

[Rose]

You're probably jaded from the hundreds of movies you've watched that were influenced by The Matrix.

Yeah, this is possible (except for the "hundreds" part; I've probably watched fewer than 30 movies in my life). I mean, I enjoyed some parts, but it never really engaged me.

At the risk of editorializing, this renders your opinion on the matter pretty much worthless or at least extremely uneducated.

I don't think having seen a small number of movies means I can't like or dislike them. Uneducated? Sure, I guess. But I'm not writing a research paper here :p

As for the topic that this thread was initially about, I agree with this:

I think the point was that in the Matrix Neo et al realised that The Matrix wasn't real. If the illusion was perfect and you never knew then it wouldn't matter - but they knew that there wasn't something right with the world. Living in something that you instinctively know isn't quite right would be a pain.

[otters~1]

Jesus Christ, maxson watched a movie.

[scythe]

If we have the technology to simulate entire worlds, we also have the technology to do far more awesome things than live in a crappy reinvention of 1999.

[Rose]

If we have the technology to simulate entire worlds, we also have the technology to do far more awesome things than live in a crappy reinvention of 1999.

But didn't the machines force humans to live in the Matrix? I don't think the humans had a choice in the matter.

[scythe]

If we have the technology to simulate entire worlds, we also have the technology to do far more awesome things than live in a crappy reinvention of 1999.

But didn't the machines force humans to live in the Matrix? I don't think the humans had a choice in the matter.

The question is "what's so bad about living in the Matrix", not "what was the plot of that Matrix series again, I forgot how to Google."

[otters~1]

It's the classic freedom vs. comfort question. Surely we've had this argument before.

[Lachesis]

"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Benjamin Franklin

That is all.