Discussion assignment: Descartes and Matrix

Read Stich & Donaldson Chapter 5.

Stich & Donaldson talk about the movie, The Matrix, on page 83. This movie is inspired by Descartes' thought experiments.

In The Matrix, the character, Neo starts noticing strange things in his life. He is introduced to the possibility that everything he knows is false, given that he may be in "the Matrix" which is a computer-generated simulation. In this scene, Neo meets Morpheus who invites him to discover the "real" world, in which he discovers that people are hooked up to computers that feed them simulated sense-data and experiences and memories. Thus, the Matrix is the "false" simulated world. How can you be certain you are not in the Matrix, or a computer simulation, or dreaming?

Watch this clip from the Matrix movie:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9vGMMPM5Lg (Links to an external site.)
Minimize Video

The blue pill   keeps you in the fake world (called "the Matrix") so you can continue living with these memories and experiences given to you from the supercomputer.

The red pill wakes you up to reality, where you can see that you and others are a body hooked into a supercomputer that has been feeding you ideas, sense data, and all your memories and experiences.

Write a response to the following prompts:

1. Would you choose the red pill or the blue pill? Why?

2. Stich & Donaldson asks if there is any way that you can be completely sure that the world around you is not a computer simulation? (83).

Comment on two of your classmates' posts.

Tips:

Keep structure: See "Professional writing: Structure." Structure includes writing one topic per paragraph. Explaining a scenario or philosophical dilemma, applying philosophical theories, picking a position and supporting with arguments.

Use details and give specific examples and scenarios.