Halfway Reality Or a Full-scale Fantasy: Plato's 'The Republic' and 'The Allegory of The Cave"

The Perception of Reality

The greater part of us imagine that the world exists essentially as it is perceived; feelings, emotions, and thought constitute the this-worldly reality we live in. Most of us know what is real, know the sounds of the world, and know how to convey that understanding through a shared knowledge only capable through the human existence of life. Oftentimes, the universal truths in life that we cannot justify as truth, such as death, and what happens after the fact, are explained in different spiritual phenomena and systematic beliefs of opinion which basis is rooted in the fear of the unknown. No one would dare question these truths; the people that do are often turned into social pariahs. The uncertainty of not knowing these truths has ultimately been explained and justified by thousands of religions that control the majority of the world population. Why is this? The films, The Matrix (Wachowski & Wachowski, 1999) and 1984 (Radford, 1984) aim to challenge both Neo and Emmanuel Goldstein’s notions of reality and summon both characters to escape the depths of their own ignorance.

Halfway Reality or a Full-scale Fantasy: Plato's 'The Republic' and 'The Allegory of The Cave'

The fear of the unknown produces self-incomprehension that is learned, shared, and taught through the ideas of reason and rhetoric; ultimately, the infliction of the ruling perceived thought and use of imagination is used to repress humanity's unknowns. To additionally see how self-ignorance is shared and delivered by the ruling beliefs, we should take a look at Plato's The Republic and The Allegory of the Cave that propose what individuals take to be 'reality' altogether is just a halfway reality or a full-scale fantasy. As in all comparative rationality, the allegory is layered; however, it is half about parting from standard reasoning and looking for individual knowledge, the ascent of perspective, being in a cave, and leaving a cave. It's about how we can climb from the base to stand up close and personal with the brilliant Sun. Plato's ideas underscore the importance of questioning perceived realities and seeking enlightenment beyond the shadows.

Authoritarianism and the Fate of Thought: Orwell's '1984'

1984 is about authoritarianism and the fate of a man who attempted to escape from an extreme political regime. Citizens of Oceania are forced to watch hateful political propaganda in order for the ruling regime to instill their ideas into the citizen's conscience. In Aristotle's Rhetoric, Aristotle makes the assumption about effective persuasion. Aristotle suggests that persuasion may be the most effective when "the speech stirs their emotions... judgments when we are pleased and friendly are not the same when we are pained and hostile" (Aristotle, trans. 2007). This idea holds value as to why it is effective for the Big Brother regime in the film. The film also questions the epistemology of individualism and thought. When and what should we doubt? When and what should we believe? Winston is conscious of certain falsehoods and starts to scrutinize the Inner Party leader and look for truths. Winston's end is definitely not a happy one; similar to the return of the prisoner speculated in The Allegory of the Cave, he questions leaving the cave only to be shut in and punished. Today, people can transmute from dull, tedious 'thought' into rose brilliant reasoning, yet as our minds are liberated, we eventually find that our society is embedded with a progression of standards, structures, and norms that sustain false symbolism, protecting the status quo from the 'risk' of individual reasoning. Reason learned through the Socratic method shapes Winston's moves as he takes on these uncertainties and ultimately achieves the truth from O'Brien.

The Epistemology of The Matrix

The Matrix raises epistemological questions about the human conscious experience and its ability to understand the external world and the understanding of the universe. Neo finds that the world in which he dwells is really an intricate recreation—a vivid digital façade produced by artificial intelligence which cultivates the bioelectricity of individuals to fuel a battle of mastery in the 'true' world. The people are kept in an unconscious state in pod-like compartments, connected to a computer. Everything on the planet, cars, buildings, cities, and countries are a piece of a complex computer-generated simulation called the Matrix within which the people communicate. All that they see, smell, and hear is a piece of this virtual construct and doesn't generally exist. A computer program simply animates their minds and misleads them into trusting that they are living true lives, working and interacting together. They are altogether blinded to reality about how and why they exist. The movie's core theme examines the possibility that individuals can be blinded to truths about their reality, helpless to know any better. Morpheus tells Neo that everything he's ever known as life is a lie. These certainties are inductive and make Neo cognitively dissonant. The world as he has known it radically shifts and goes against his perceived values. Morpheus’ questions correlate directly with the cynicism theory; cynic leader Diogenes suggested that all trappings of mankind are acquired.

The Role of Self-Ignorance

Self-ignorance is reflective of falsehoods made to be truths. We utilize the fear of not knowing to impact our reality. Natural truths that can be demonstrated in fact by science are regularly never challenged but accepted, as human truths fall into the depths of uncertainty. The logic is so distorted that it persuades the majority. The fear of the unknown truth produces self-ignorance that is found out, shared, and educated through the thoughts of reason and rhetoric; ultimately, the power of the decision of mass thought and use of imagination is used to repress humanity's unknowns. As we navigate through the complex layers of perceived reality, it becomes crucial to challenge the narratives imposed upon us and seek individual understanding beyond the cave's shadows.

References

• Aristotle. (2007). Rhetoric (W. Rhys Roberts, Trans.).
• Radford, M. (Director). (1984). 1984 [Film]. MGM/UA Entertainment Co.
• Wachowski, L., & Wachowski, L. (Directors). (1999). The Matrix [Film]. Warner Bros.