Would You Rather Live in Ignorant Bliss or the Horrible Truth?

Liberty University Online
Phil 201: Fall Semester 2014

Most of us have watched the movie, “The Matrix.” What some people might not know is that this is not a new concept. There have been philosophers, namely Plato and Descartes, who have been pondering concepts like this, way before the movie was released. Is there a way to prove that the world we live in is real, and not just some sort of dream? Can we trust the five senses that we depend on so much? How can we be sure that how we live, where we live, and what we live for is real? Let’s explore. The Matrix talks about how we are all being deceived in this world, being hooked up to brain stimulating cable that produces the lives we know in our minds. Descartes played with the same question but found a different solution. “From this foundational idea, Descartes went on to argue for the existence of God, who would not, due to his goodness, allow us to be continually deceived by an evil demon.” (Dew, p.152) What I got from Descartes’ words was; what would be the point? God created us, he loves us; He is good, so why would he want to deceive us for our entire lives, what is the point? Plato’s concept is very similar to the creation of The Matrix. Through a dialogue, he was questioning the fact of reality. Stating that what if we were all just standing in one spot, forced to look in only one direction, the only things we saw were objects passing by. His point was that, that would be our entire reality without knowing that we ourselves are not moving. The Excerpt from Plato, The Republic, states, “Then in every way such prisoners would deem reality to be nothing else than the shadows of the artificial objects.” Proving that the world is real, and not just some sort of dream can be a difficult concept to swallow. Personally I believe Descartes answered this question the best, “While he could doubt the physical objects around him that present themselves to us through the senses, he could not doubt the existence of his own mind. For if he was doubting it, he was thinking to doubt it, and if he was thinking, then he must exist to think in the first place.” (Dew, pg.152) I love the way Descartes puts this because it is so simple. How can anyone question their existence in the first place, because in order to question it we have to do something, and if we are doing something then obviously we exist. If we take the literal term of dreaming, then the first action would mean being asleep. Since we are aware when we are awake, then how could we be confused with dreaming since we know that we are not sleeping. I believe that senses only have to do with some of our beliefs. Someone can always have a belief that is wrong, but to question the reliability of our senses being the cause is not always the case. For instance, I do not believe in Jesus Christ because I can see, smell, taste, touch, or hear him. I believe in him with my heart, which is not a sense. The Lord does not communicate to his children through our senses, all the time. He can actually speak to us through our hearts, and through the Holy Spirit. It is the only thing given to us that is not “human.” Since I can be sure about my faith in God, because it doesn’t go through my senses, then I know that I can be sure about all of my other beliefs. Since my most important belief is confirmed, God, then I know that he wouldn’t deceive his children into living lives of ignorant bliss. That is how I can be sure that our beliefs are true. In conclusion, Plato and The Matrix, are very much on the same page. While Descartes, even though he played with the same question, decided that God would never deceive his people like that; this is inspiring. To question that life is real, or that we do exist is a silly question. In order to ask ourselves that question in the first place means we are thinking, and if we are thinking then we obviously do exist. As far as trusting our senses, I trust in the Lord without using any of my senses, and since I trust him I trust the life he has given us, images and all. I do not believe he would deceive us in that way and that is how I know our beliefs are true.