In the year of our machine overlords, 1999, quite possibly THE best and most philosophical movie of all time was released
I re-watch this movie every year, and I am STOKED to unleash this epic thread:
The Philosophy of the Matrix

The Philosophy of the Matrix
The Wachowskis worked absolute magic with these movies...and while there are lessons to be learned in all 3 movies and the overarching story arc (which Iâll touch on at the end of the thread), Iâll be focusing primarily on the first movie.
Also, before I dive in...what the f*ck was in the water in Hollywood in 1998/1999? The Matrix, Fight Club, The Truman Show, Pleasantville, The Thirteenth Floor, Dark City 

The Simulation Hypothesis and Non-Duality weâre on FULL display.



Alright Mr. Anderson, down the rabbit hole we go
The very first thing to call out is Trinityâs line âit doesnât matter what I believeâ, because itâs true. Believe what you want, truth is truth regardless of belief...existentially speaking.

The idea of âAgentsâ whose job it is to police The Matrix and keep things on track is VERY interesting. If weâre in a game or simulation, something like this almost certainly exists...and to a degree, the NPCs sort of serve this function, trying to keep everyone playing.
âThe name is Neoâ, which means new (or revived form of), but is also an anagram of One. Layers of meaning, but not very subtle

And whatâs the first message Neo sees on his computer screen? âWake up, Neo...â Neo is asleep, on multiple levels of reality. But, heâs aware enough to know his ârealityâ is off, and to feel that splinter in the mind that compels him to search for answers...
âThe Matrix has you...â Literal and metaphorical. Whether weâre in a game, a simulation, or a dream (and I strongly believe itâs one of the three, or some semantic variant), whatever ârealityâ is, itâs not real, and it has us all.
âFollow the white rabbitâ is again literal and metaphorical. Alice in Wonderland is a wonderful philosophical story as well. Curiouser and curiouser.
As strange as this may sound, I've often wondered if Alice in Wonderland was based on someone's awakening experience.
As strange as this may sound, I've often wondered if Alice in Wonderland was based on someone's awakening experience.
The book Neo has his stash in is Simulacra and Simulation by Jean Baudrillard (a Sim Hyp type book). The chapter is, ironically, On Nihilism
Keanu actually read this book in prep for his role as Neo (a gift from the Wachowskiâs I believe).

âYou ever have that feeling where youâre not sure if youâre awake or still dreaming?â Makes me think of:
âIt just sounds to me like you need to unplug manâ
The word choice in this movie is
Thing is, we can ALL unplug from âThe Matrixâ by disattaching and living in the now. Wake up motherf*ckers!


When Neo spots the white rabbit tattoo
, this is what some call a synchronicity. Many people swear these exist in our ârealityâ, and Iâve experienced a few myself (though they could just be false patterns).
That Neo saw it and followed it though...may we all do as much.

That Neo saw it and followed it though...may we all do as much.
The song in the club, Dragula by Rob Zombie...one of the lines is âDead I am the oneâ
Appropriate on multiple levels. If Zen is accurate, âyouâ have to âdieâ in order to truly wake up to your oneness. "If you meet the buddha on the road, kill him" and all that.

âItâs the question that drives us Neo...What is The Matrix?â
What is real? What is true? What is the nature of reality? = What is The Matrix? We seem to be deeply wired to ask/seek this, but shy of enlightenment, all you'll find are more questions.
What is real? What is true? What is the nature of reality? = What is The Matrix? We seem to be deeply wired to ask/seek this, but shy of enlightenment, all you'll find are more questions.
âThe answer is out there Neo, and itâs looking for you. It will find you if you want it to.â Seek and ye shall find, ask and ye shall receive, knock and it shall be opened into you. Now you know what that really means 
Organized religion may be
, but it contains some truths.

Organized religion may be

âYou believe that you are special, that somehow the rules do not apply to you.â
If you want out of the cage, you MUST question it all. Authority, rules, tradition. Leave no stone unturned.
It's all a game, you're a character, and you can ad lib if you want to!
If you want out of the cage, you MUST question it all. Authority, rules, tradition. Leave no stone unturned.
It's all a game, you're a character, and you can ad lib if you want to!
Mr. Thomas A. Anderson as a wage slave...mind numbing bullshit job, cubicle, dick boss. No wonder he was searching!
Complacency is a trap. To wake up, you have to want to burn it all down. Thatâs what drives the transformation process.
Complacency is a trap. To wake up, you have to want to burn it all down. Thatâs what drives the transformation process.
Agent Smith talks to Neo about his 2 lives. âOne of these lives has a future, and the other does not.â
I see Thomas Anderson as the inauthentic character, the role the Matrix shoehorned him into.
But Neo is actually his true, authentic self. Who he chooses to be. This is key!
I see Thomas Anderson as the inauthentic character, the role the Matrix shoehorned him into.
But Neo is actually his true, authentic self. Who he chooses to be. This is key!
âListen to me copper topâ
Switch just called Neo a battery, lol. But what is a battery? A store of energy, made to be used by something or someone. A functional component of a system.
Spot on.
To âthe systemâ, weâre all just batteries to be used and discarded. Replaceable.

Spot on.
To âthe systemâ, weâre all just batteries to be used and discarded. Replaceable.
âYou have been down there Neo. You know that road. You know exactly where it ends, and I know thatâs not where you want to be.â F*ckin A.
Morpheus
In Greek mythology, he was the son of the god of sleep, and was responsible for sending human shapes to dreamers within dreams. Quite a fitting name for his role in this movie.
His role is that of a guide, someone who has awoken, and helps others to do the same.

His role is that of a guide, someone who has awoken, and helps others to do the same.
âI imagine that right now you feel a bit like Alice, tumbling down the rabbit hole.â This is what it feels like, deep in your gut, when you finally awaken *within* the dream. You KNOW things arenât as they seem. The illusion is cracked, and there's no putting Humpty Dumpty back.
âYou have the look of a man who accepts what he sees because he is expecting to wake up. Ironically this is not far from the truth.â 
When the cracks in the illusion appear, and you realize it's all false...yep.

When the cracks in the illusion appear, and you realize it's all false...yep.
âDo you believe in fate Neo?
No.
Why not?
Because I donât like the idea that Iâm not in control of my own life.â
Free will is probably an illusion, but nobody wants to accept that...and frankly, that's a boring way to operate.
Assume it's a single player game, and PLAY!
No.
Why not?
Because I donât like the idea that Iâm not in control of my own life.â
Free will is probably an illusion, but nobody wants to accept that...and frankly, that's a boring way to operate.
Assume it's a single player game, and PLAY!
âYou are here because you know something. What you know you canât explain, but you feel it. Youâve felt it your entire life, that thereâs something wrong with the world. You donât know what it is, but itâs there, like a splinter in your mind.â
Iâve felt this way my whole life.

Morpheusâs description of the Matrix
...âit is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you to the truthâ. In Zen, they would call this Maya.

âWhat truth?â âThat you are a slave Neo. Like everyone else you were born into bondage, born into a prison that you cannot smell or taste or touch, a prison for your mind.â THIS. This is true on multiple levels if you can only open your eyes to see.
My book was ALL about this.
My book was ALL about this.
âUnfortunately no one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself.â The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. Nobody can wake you up.
And if you can't yet see it, this entire thread will probably sound batshit crazy
And if you can't yet see it, this entire thread will probably sound batshit crazy

âThis is your last chance, after this there is no turning back.â The Red Pill vs. Blue Pill scene is
We all have a choice, painful truths, or comforting lies. Most will choose the lies. The rabbit hole goes DEEP


The line about disrupting Neoâs input/output carrier signal...if we really are in a simulation or game (possible/likely), something like this makes sense. Weâd each have a unique object identifier, to which our location, memories, etc. would be attached. Hmmmm...
âHave you ever had a dream Neo that you were so sure was real? What if you were unable to wake from that dream? How would you know the difference between the dream world, and the real world?â
How indeed.
Are you *sure* you're awake right now?
How indeed.
Are you *sure* you're awake right now?
With the bio pod scene, Neo has exited the Matrix...or has he? Is he now in base reality? Or has he just moved up one level in a nested simulation a la Thirteenth Floor or Inception? Weâll come back to this idea later, but strange things are afoot at the Circle K

Not a philosophical point at all, but looking at the level of technology available to the machines, and knowing how inefficient humans are at energy conversion, thereâs no way machines would have used humans as a power source 
They'd have just put solar panels in space.

They'd have just put solar panels in space.
âThereâs nothing I can say that will explain it for you Neo. Come, see for yourself.â
As Joseph Campbell would say it, this is Thomas Anderson's call to adventure.
Can you imagine how his life would have played out if he didn't take the leap.
TAKE THE LEAP!
As Joseph Campbell would say it, this is Thomas Anderson's call to adventure.
Can you imagine how his life would have played out if he didn't take the leap.
TAKE THE LEAP!
Having just come out of the Matrix, Morpheus takes Neo right back in to experience it with eyes wide open.
âResidual Self Imageâ is an interesting concept. While the movie uses it physically, we are what we believe ourselves to be, and our mental image of self is the what shapes our reality and our experience of it.
What happens if you change that core self image?
What happens if you change that core self image?
âWhat is real? How do you define real? If youâre talking about what you can feel, what you can smell, what you can taste and see, then real is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain.â
BINGO. We only experience a mental interpretation of reality, not actual reality.
BINGO. We only experience a mental interpretation of reality, not actual reality.
Ahh, the whole "AI as the bad guy" routine 
This is such a common trope in SciFi that itâs become rooted in the human psyche. And itâs absurd.
Why?
Because *everything* is illusory, artificial, lol.
WE are AI

This is such a common trope in SciFi that itâs become rooted in the human psyche. And itâs absurd.
Why?
Because *everything* is illusory, artificial, lol.
WE are AI

âFate it seems is not without a sense of irony.â
You have no idea! If we exist purely as a form of entertainment for someone/something a level up, then it makes sense that anything that can happen will happen.
You have no idea! If we exist purely as a form of entertainment for someone/something a level up, then it makes sense that anything that can happen will happen.
âWhat is the Matrix? Control. The Matrix is a computer generated dream world, built to keep us under control, in order to change a human being into this. (holds up battery)â 


I think about this a lot.
The economic engine runs on human fuel.



I think about this a lot.
The economic engine runs on human fuel.
âI canât go back, can I...
No, but if you could, would you really want to?â
This is the thing with waking up, there is no going back...and some people really wish they could, because the first step brings a HUGE wave of nihilism with it.
That first step is a doozy
No, but if you could, would you really want to?â
This is the thing with waking up, there is no going back...and some people really wish they could, because the first step brings a HUGE wave of nihilism with it.
That first step is a doozy

For some, the nihilism is overwhelming, and they end up giving up and/or committing suicide. They want out.
For others, they realize that a world with no defined meaning can be a fantastic playground or amusement park, and so they take it for a wild ride. Rick Sanchez style
For others, they realize that a world with no defined meaning can be a fantastic playground or amusement park, and so they take it for a wild ride. Rick Sanchez style

âWe have a rule, we never free a mind once itâs reached a certain age.â This is very interesting...the younger you are, the less egoic cruft has built up, and the easier it probably is to dissolve your self without the necessity of trauma.
Things rings true to me.
Things rings true to me.
The story about the first One, a reincarnation story, is interesting. I donât believe in reincarnation in the strictest sense (âyouâ coming back again, karmic cycles, yak yak). But in the sense of the finger puppeting you later swapping in a different puppet, then sure why not

The training sequence...gotta say, of everything in this movie, this is a technology that I would most love to see. Being able to just download knowledge and muscle memory into your brain...gimme

It also makes me wonder though...if weâre all interconnected in some way (part of a single "system"), could there be a way to do this already? Hmmm.
The Morpheus Neo fight scene! 

âYou think thatâs air youâre breathing now?â LOL.
âStop trying to hit me and hit meâ is actually quite deep. Trying implies conscious thought. Peak performance requires Mushin, No Mind. Fully in the here and now.


âYou think thatâs air youâre breathing now?â LOL.
âStop trying to hit me and hit meâ is actually quite deep. Trying implies conscious thought. Peak performance requires Mushin, No Mind. Fully in the here and now.
âIâm trying to free your mind Neo, but I can only show you the door, youâre the one that has to walk through it...you have to let it all go Neo, fear, doubt, and disbelief.â
Frankly, you could skip all other philosophy courses and self-help books, and just watch this movie.
Frankly, you could skip all other philosophy courses and self-help books, and just watch this movie.
âI thought it wasnât real.
Your mind makes it real.â
The mind constructs our ârealityâ, literally. Whether you believe you can, or believe you canât, youâre right.
Your mind makes it real.â
The mind constructs our ârealityâ, literally. Whether you believe you can, or believe you canât, youâre right.
Ok, next up, the âwoman in the red dressâ training scene. So many bomb quotes and deep thoughts in this one!
âThe Matrix is a system Neo. That system is our enemy. But when you are inside, you look around what do you see? Businessmen, teachers, lawyers, carpenters, the very minds of the people we are trying to save.â
âIf you are not one of us, you are one of them.â
The difference between someone who is âasleepâ and someone who is âawakeâ is night and day, and itâs close to impossible to communicate and relate across that gap.
To the sleeping mind, you will appear insane.
The difference between someone who is âasleepâ and someone who is âawakeâ is night and day, and itâs close to impossible to communicate and relate across that gap.
To the sleeping mind, you will appear insane.
âWhy oh why didnât I take the blue pill.â
Ahh, Cypher.
There is no going back from waking up. It's a one way street.
You could try to distract yourself from reality via booze or drugs, but itâs a band-aid at best. Better to just embrace it and find a path forward.
Ahh, Cypher.
There is no going back from waking up. It's a one way street.
You could try to distract yourself from reality via booze or drugs, but itâs a band-aid at best. Better to just embrace it and find a path forward.
âI know this steak doesnât exist...ignorance is bliss.â In a way, yes. Many people poke at reality because they are looking for some greater meaning or purpose. Well, there doesnât actually seem to be one. And if you canât handle that, then yes, stop poking and go back to sleep.
Funny enough, apparently the Wachowskis have said that given Neoâs choice (red pill blue pill), theyâd take the blue pill

I also think this scene with Cypher is an important look at what youâll run up against if you awaken. The people closest to you probably wonât like it, and they may do things that seem mean or cruel...just remember, itâs not even about you, but about them. No malice, just fear.
âTo deny our own impulses is to deny the very thing that makes us human.â
This is interesting. On the one hand, the ability to overcome our base wiring seems a key strength.
On the other hand, being inauthentic leads to misery.
Hmm...
This is interesting. On the one hand, the ability to overcome our base wiring seems a key strength.
On the other hand, being inauthentic leads to misery.
Hmm...
The trip to the Oracle, where Neo is looking out at the ârealâ Matrix for the first time since unplugging, and he feels both a sense of shock/awe and nostalgia.
When you wake up in the dream, it really feels that way. Itâs weird af, and took me months to acclimate.
When you wake up in the dream, it really feels that way. Itâs weird af, and took me months to acclimate.
âTry not to think of it in terms of right and wrong...sheâs a guide, she can help you to find the path.â Nobody can tell you your path, but some can help nudge you towards insights that will click for you.
Spoon boy
âThere is no spoon...then youâll see that it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself.â Your perception defines your reality. The sooner you grasp this, the better.

The Oracle
This whole scene is great, but I love the Temet Nosce bit (Know Thyself) because itâs the key to everything.
It has layers of meaning, depending on your level of awareness.

It has layers of meaning, depending on your level of awareness.
âIt looks like youâre waiting for something...your next life maybe, who knows.â While it may not be canon, I maintain that Neo wasnât always The One, but only *became* The One once he believed it himself. Our characters arenât written in stone, and we CAN change them.
On the subject of becoming something, think of this like a sculptor. You have a block of stone to work with...what do you create? Do you create whatever you want? Or do you chip away to find whatâs already hidden inside? 
Perhaps a bit of both.

Perhaps a bit of both.
âYouâll remember you donât believe in any of this fate crap. Youâre in control of your own life.â
I wonder about this still...do we have free will? To what degree? Is determinism legit or bullshit? Fatalism?
ÂŻ\\_(ă)_/ÂŻ
I wonder about this still...do we have free will? To what degree? Is determinism legit or bullshit? Fatalism?
ÂŻ\\_(ă)_/ÂŻ
âWhat was said was for you, and you alone.â The exact same words given to two different people could be interpreted in wildly different ways. Thus the whole âthe Tao that can be toldâ dealio again.
However...is the Oracle foreseeing the future? Or crafting it cunningly?
However...is the Oracle foreseeing the future? Or crafting it cunningly?
âA deja vu is usually a glitch in the Matrix, it happens when they change something.â
Iâve wondered about this. Same with the Mandela Effect.
Are there updates, rollbacks, modifications?
If weâre in an artificial reality, whoâs to say?
Iâve wondered about this. Same with the Mandela Effect.
Are there updates, rollbacks, modifications?
If weâre in an artificial reality, whoâs to say?
âIf youâd have told us the truth, weâd have told you to shove that red pill right up your ass.â
This is probably true for most people.
Read some Jed McKenna...if you canât handle that, then yeah, take your blue pill binkie and go nite nite.
This is probably true for most people.
Read some Jed McKenna...if you canât handle that, then yeah, take your blue pill binkie and go nite nite.
âBillions of people just living out their lives, oblivious.â
If we are in fact in a game, then Iâm guessing most of humanity are NPCs, playing out their narrowly scripted parts. Most people ARE oblivious
Hell, are there really ANY player characters?
I'm not sure...
If we are in fact in a game, then Iâm guessing most of humanity are NPCs, playing out their narrowly scripted parts. Most people ARE oblivious

Hell, are there really ANY player characters?
I'm not sure...
âI believe that as a species, humans define their reality through misery and suffering.â
Smithâs dialogue in this scene is
Itâs true though, humanity seems wired to focus on the negative over the positive. I actually donât think we could handle a utopia.
Smithâs dialogue in this scene is

Itâs true though, humanity seems wired to focus on the negative over the positive. I actually donât think we could handle a utopia.
âHuman beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet.â
Agent Smithâs virus analogy is spot on. We do in fact behave more like a virus than like the other animals on our planet.
The question is, why? And must it be that way? Can we find an equilibrium?
Agent Smithâs virus analogy is spot on. We do in fact behave more like a virus than like the other animals on our planet.
The question is, why? And must it be that way? Can we find an equilibrium?
âI hate this place, this zoo, this prison.â
This line is actually why I named my book @ScrewTheZoo
This line is actually why I named my book @ScrewTheZoo

âThereâs a difference between knowing the path, and walking the path.â
The Tao, the âwayâ or âpathâ, has to be walked.
Alone.
Just knowing itâs there is insufficient.
The Tao, the âwayâ or âpathâ, has to be walked.
Alone.
Just knowing itâs there is insufficient.
âHeâs beginning to believe.â
Once again, your belief shapes your reality.
This is why I think Neo wasnât the One, but *became* the one. He came to believe it, and thus made it so.
And the effort of others led him to that point...he wasn't a "self-made" One.
Once again, your belief shapes your reality.
This is why I think Neo wasnât the One, but *became* the one. He came to believe it, and thus made it so.
And the effort of others led him to that point...he wasn't a "self-made" One.
âMy name...is Neo!â Damn straight.
Outside forces can have an effect, but nobody defines your character but you if you so choose. Like Batman became the primary identity of Bruce Wayne, Neo became the primary identity of Thomas Anderson. You choose how to play your character
Outside forces can have an effect, but nobody defines your character but you if you so choose. Like Batman became the primary identity of Bruce Wayne, Neo became the primary identity of Thomas Anderson. You choose how to play your character

The scene where Neo âdiesâ and then comes back to life, able to see the code underlying the Matrix...I *think* this is meant as a representation of enlightenment. No mind, effortless action, pure awareness. Buddha Neo

âIâm going to hang up this phone, and then Iâm going to show these people what you donât want them to see. Iâm going to show them a world without you, a world without rules and controls, without borders or boundaries...a world where anything is possible.â
Now, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions...frankly, I didnât find these movies anywhere near as deep, BUT, there are some nuggets to take away, so here goes...
First, there are multiple indications that Zion and the âreal worldâ are in fact just another layer of the Matrix, and itâs clearly stated that Zion was designed as a holding pen for minds that reject the standard Matrix experience.

Thing is, this may be the case for our world as well. A lot of âspiritualityâ, where people feel theyâre becoming free, in fact represent just another layer of trap.
Maya is a f*cking onion.
And even if you attain âenlightenmentâ, thereâs no telling whatâs really up a layer.
Maya is a f*cking onion.
And even if you attain âenlightenmentâ, thereâs no telling whatâs really up a layer.
Everyone in the Matrix, even Neo, was a puppet, and the Oracle was the grand puppeteer
She wanted an end to war and the reloading of the Matrix, and she played everyone to make it so.
You think youâre free, making âyourâ choices? Are you sure?

You think youâre free, making âyourâ choices? Are you sure?

Lastly, Love. Neoâs first core driver was truth and freedom. Later, his love for Trinity took over. The Oracle used this.
Love is also a key driver in our reality.
But...individual love is attachment, and thereâs no enlightenment while attached.
Do with that as you will.
Love is also a key driver in our reality.
But...individual love is attachment, and thereâs no enlightenment while attached.
Do with that as you will.
In my mind, The Matrix is a movie that tackles both the Simulation Hypothesis, and the idea of Non-Duality, all rolled into one.
It's one of those movies that you can watch again and again, and always find something new.
Anywho, thanks for reading!
Good luck breaking out
It's one of those movies that you can watch again and again, and always find something new.
Anywho, thanks for reading!
Good luck breaking out
