Philosophy, Religion and Popular Culture.

The scene is a dark club.  Strangely dressed people dance to the techno music blaring out.  The atmosphere is charged with tension and fear.  A leather clad woman, Trinity, approaches the hero, Neo and there is an instant attraction between them.  She leans close to him, almost touching his cheek, and whispers in his ear; “It is the question that drives us, Neo. It is the question that brought you here. You know the question, just as I did.  The answer is out there Neo.”

‘It is the question that drives us’.  Aristotle, the famous Greek philosopher who lived between 384-321 BC, once wrote;

“All human beings by nature desire to know.”

Most people at some stage in life, ask themselves the big questions about life; “Where did we all comes from?”, “What is my purpose for being here?”, “What happens to me when I die?”, “What’s it all about?” In order to find the answers to these questions, many people turn to philosophy and religion.

People engage in philosophy when they think about life and everything in it.  The word philosophy comes from ancient Greece and means “love of wisdom”.  There are many different philosophical fields, including politics and science. However, the most interesting (by far J) is the philosophy of religion. Religious philosophy has impacted the world throughout history and today greatly influences Hollywood and popular culture in general. 

As we begin our journey into the philosophy of religion you should be challenged to start asking why you think the way you do, act the way you do and believe the things you do. Socrates, another famous Greek Philosopher, once said that:

“The unexamined life is not worth living”.

A more modern philosopher, a character in The Matrix called ‘the Oracle’ claimed that the answer to life’s big questions was to “Know Thyself”.  This term in RS you have a choice.  Will you be like Neo, who had a “splinter in the mind, driving him mad”, which led him to search for the meaning to life?  Or will you be like Cypher (the bad guy) who turned his back on the truth because he said “ignorance is bliss”.

The Matrix

“It is the question that drives us”

For Neo the ‘question that drove him’ was “What is the Matrix?”  Thomas Anderson, a computer hacker who went by the name Neo, was searching for the meaning of his life when, through Trinity, he was led to Morpheus.  Thus begins for him a journey that, along with a few kung- fu fights, a bit of romance and lots of guns, will eventually lead him to the truth.  The Matrix I and II, (and no doubt III) draws heavily on religious philosophy, Christianity, Judaism and Buddhism in an attempt to find an answer to the search for meaning in our lives.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it (and you WILL) is to identify the philosophical and religious ideas presented in this film and decide whether or not you agree with them.  Try not to get too distracted by the gross bug scene, the cool helicopter crash or the fact that the Matrix was filmed in the world’s greatest city J.  Focus, instead on the philosophical and religious images in this film. Here are a few clues that should help:

In ancient Greece:

• There was an Oracle who lived in a place called Delphi. People visited her to ask for advice or to seek out their purpose in life.
• In Greek mythology, Morpheus is the name of the god of sleep.

In Christianity:

• Ander / son comes from the Greek  ‘andras’ for man.  Anderson means Son of Man – a term Jesus uses for himself in the Gospel of Mark.
• Thomas was the disciple who doubted Jesus’ power. He was also called, in Greek, ‘Didymus’, which means ‘twin’ or ‘double’.  Thomas Anderson has two roles – the doubting Thomas and Neo, who believes.
• The ‘One” (change the letters to make Neo) was prophesied about as the Saviour who would free people from the Matrix. Jesus claimed to be the Saviour of the world – see how many ways Neo is presented as Jesus.

In Judaism

• Zion represents the heavenly city of Jerusalem – a perfect place of freedom.
• Nebuchadnezzar was the king of Babylon who had puzzling symbolic dreams that needed to be explained.

The Matrix

Questions

(because it is the question that drives us J)

1. The movie opens with Trinity, leaping her way out of trouble. Where does the word Trinity come from and what does it mean?
2. When we first meet Neo (Thomas Anderson) he is sleeping by his computer.  There are news stories up on his computer screen.  What (or who) are they about?
3. What is the first message typed to Neo on the computer screen?  Why is this such a key statement (refer to question 2).
4. Watch very carefully.  What is the number on Neo’s apartment door?  Why is this significant?
5. Neo is interrupted by a group buying illegal software.  What does the lead guy call Neo?
6. Neo eventually meets Morpheus and they chat.  What does Neo believe about fate?
7. How does Morpheus describe the Matrix?
8. What was the ‘truth’, according to Morpheus?
9. Neo was offered a choice – the blue or the red pill. What did each represent?
10. What was it that Morpheus said he was offering?
11. Neo takes the pill and finds himself in the ‘real world’ (covered in sticky pink goo).  This experience is one of the many times that Neo is ‘reborn’.  What religion is best represented in this image?
12. Neo is taken to Morpheus’ ship.  Look carefully at the name and the numbers on the ship.  What are they?
13. When the Matrix was first designed there was a man born who could change it.  After he died, the Oracle prophesied his return. Again we come to the idea of rebirth and prophecy. What 2 religious traditions have these ideas?
14. What was the name of the last human city?
15. Compare the two worlds – the ‘real’ world and the dream world of the Matrix.  Which one is more colourful and dedicated to pleasure? Is there any religious idea behind this?
16. Why was Neo brought out of the Matrix? Who is he supposed to represent?
17. Cypher betrays his friends (like Judas) by making a deal with ‘Mr Smith’. Why? What things does he want?
18. What phrase does the Oracle have in her kitchen?
19. Neo was going to have to make a choice. What was it?
20. Morpheus is captured and questioned by the agents.  Why did ‘Mr Smith’ say the first Matrix failed?
21. Why did Neo go back to save Morpheus?
22. After Neo saves Trinity from the helicopter, Morpheus says that “there’s a difference between knowing the path and….” What?
23. Look carefully at the number on the door where Neo is shot. What is it?
24. Neo is dead for 72 seconds. Guess what the significance of this number is.
25. At the end of the film Neo flies into the sky. What does this represent?