by William Irwin
A collection of philosophy essays illustrated by the
themes in the hit action movie The Matrix
Reviewed by: Guy Brandon
About Guy Brandon
The Matrix (1999, written and directed by the Wachowski brothers) is one of
the most successful movies ever made. It is a great action film in its own
right, famed for its special effects and spectacular sequences of
choreographed kung fu fighting. In addition, it is an intellectual movie
underpinned with a multiplicity of religious and philosophical beliefs. It
is these motifs and the related material they lead into that the
contributors of The Matrix and Philosophy have written essays about.
One of the philosophers examined in a little more detail is Descartes, who
questioned the reality of the world we see and experience. This topic is
obviously very well illustrated by the underlying premise of the film, in
which humanity is duped into believing they are living normal lives by the
intelligent computer system that covers the earth. Much of the Christian
imagery in the film (in which Keanu Reeves plays a messiah-like figure) will
not have gone unnoticed either. What is less appreciated is that The Matrix
is also a retelling of the story of Socrates, who carried out his search for
higher truth against fierce opposition and eventually paid for it with his
life. Plato relates his story in a parable in which a group of people are
imprisoned in a cave. Shackled from birth and with only dim firelight to see
by, they are unaware of any other life and do not realise they are in prison
at all. When one is eventually taken outside to see the world as it really
is, the others do not believe him. Irwin takes this up in the first chapter,
explaining the parallels with the film and introducing its relevance to
contemporary philosophy.
The Wachowski brothers have provided many different opportunities for
philosophical analysis, and this book includes essays from a number of
perspectives: Truth, Morality, Buddhism, Ethics, Postmodernism, Metaphysics
and much more. Irwin's intention is to present philosophy in terms of
popular culture (he has previously edited "Seinfeld and Philosophy: A Book
about Everything and Nothing" and "The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh of
Homer"), and by and large he is successful. The chapters are short (10-15
pages) and self-contained, and generally require little prior knowledge. The
contributing authors do not necessarily draw out the directors' intentions,
but use their material as a starting point for discussion. This is not a
comprehensive grounding in the basics of philosophy, but an interesting
taster course illustrated by a very popular movie.
Click here to buy this book, or read more about it at Amazon.com: The Matrix and Philosophy
Copyright © by Guy Brandon, 2003
Reviewed by Guy Brandon:
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-- The Eagle's Shadow
- by Mark Hertsgaard
-- Human Instinct - How our primeval impulses shape our modern lives
- by Robert Winston
-- Hannibal
- by Thomas Harris
-- Ender's Game
- by Orson Scott Card
-- A Clockwork Orange
- by Anthony Burgess
-- 2001: A Space Odyssey
- by Arthur C. Clarke
-- Color: Stories from the Paintbox
- by Victoria Finlay
-- Arcadia
- by Tom Stoppard
-- Angry White Pyjamas
- by Robert Twigger
-- Lord of the Rings
- by J. R. R. Tolkien
-- The Matrix and Philosophy
- by William Irwin
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