How Do We Know We Arent Living In The Matrix

[Dayco23]

Lay off the weed bruh

 

[DEAD7]

How Do You Know? - YouTube


Basically, our family and friends could potentially only exist in our perceived realm of reality and we would never know. What a mindfukk.

 

[stealthbomber]

it's unfalsifiable, and therefore worthless to think about IMO

so is most of philosophy, quantum theory, much of anthropology, cosmology, theology, and more. that's just an ignorant statement, we wouldn't know anything if we didn't theorize about what we don't understand and can't test (yet).

 

[daze23]

so is most of philosophy, quantum theory, much of anthropology, cosmology, theology, and more. that's just an ignorant statement, we wouldn't know anything if we didn't theorize about what we don't understand and can't test (yet).

there's no "yet" because it's inherently untestable. it's asking to prove a negative: "How Do We Know We Arent Living In The Matrix"

also "The Matrix" is a system that feeds a false reality directly into your brain. it's designed to be a 'perfect deception', so how could one ever hope to recognize it?

 

[Brown Ant]

just like God

I also hate when people call you "close minded" for not agreeing with their stupid ass theories

That's cause you are close minded if you think that "God" cannot exist.

 

[Type Username Here]

OP, the question is absolutely valid, regardless of the hate you're receiving.

The Matrix is just a way of retelling several old tales that have weaved in and out of philosophy for ages:

Chinese Philosopher Zhuangzi presents it in the Butterfly Dream:

Once Zhuangzi dreamt he was a butterfly, a butterfly flitting and fluttering around, happy with himself and doing as he pleased. He didn't know he was Zhuangzi. Suddenly he woke up and there he was, solid and unmistakable Zhuangzi. But he didn't know if he was Zhuangzi who had dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming he was Zhuangzi. Between Zhuangzi and a butterfly there must be some distinction! This is called the Transformation of Things.

Zhuangzi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Then you have Plato's Allegory of the Cave, the most famous example:

Plato has Socrates describe a group of people who have lived chained to the wall of a cave all of their lives, facing a blank wall. The people watch shadows projected on the wall by things passing in front of a fire behind them, and begin to ascribe forms to these shadows. According to Plato's Socrates, the shadows are as close as the prisoners get to viewing reality. He then explains how the philosopher is like a prisoner who is freed from the cave and comes to understand that the shadows on the wall do not make up reality at all, as he can perceive the true form of reality rather than the mere shadows seen by the prisoners.

Allegory of the Cave - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


There are many more examples of questioning what is reality. Props for thinking about it. It isn't a black and white as some posters are making it out to be.

 

[daze23]

One time she told me, the sky is blue because we live in the eye of a blue eyed giant name Macumba.

 

[daze23]

OP, the question is absolutely valid

does it have an answer?

 

[Type Username Here]

does it have an answer?

Of course.

The better question would be to ask if anyone truly knows the true answer to that question at this stage.

That answer is no.

 

[Dwight Howard]

OP, the question is absolutely valid, regardless of the hate you're receiving.

The Matrix is just a way of retelling several old tales that have weaved in and out of philosophy for ages:

Chinese Philosopher Zhuangzi presents it in the Butterfly Dream:



Zhuangzi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Then you have Plato's Allegory of the Cave, the most famous example:



Allegory of the Cave - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


There are many more examples of questioning what is reality. Props for thinking about it. It isn't a black and white as some posters are making it out to be.

thanks this is the type of feedback I was expecting. Zhuangzi's example is perfect for this. What if we are the butterfly?

 

[daze23]

Of course.

The better question would be to ask if anyone truly knows the true answer to that question at this stage.

That answer is no.

"of course", but a "better question" would be to ask if someone knows the answer to the original question "at this stage"?

I'm sorry, but that sounds like a bunch of nothing

 

[Dwight Howard]

just like God

I also hate when people call you "close minded" for not agreeing with their stupid ass theories

you calling it a stupid ass theory is closed-minded though. Just because it cant be proven and goes beyond our realm of imagination doesnt make it stupid. Ages ago "the earth being round" would have been considered a stupid theory.

 

[jadillac]

I suppose if you believe it, then that's true for you.

Whatever you believe is real to you.

Persoanlly, the matrix theory is fun to think about, BUT, when things like slavery or the holocaust were going on, that theory rings hollow. What purpose was that serving in the matrix?

 

[daze23]

Persoanlly, the matrix theory is fun to think about, BUT, when things like slavery or the holocaust were going on, that theory rings hollow. What purpose was that serving in the matrix?

the matrix works in mysterious ways

 

[Type Username Here]

"of course", but a "better question" would be to ask if someone knows the answer to the original question "at this stage"?

I'm sorry, but that sounds like a bunch of nothing

Fair enough. I was just pointing out that this matter if worthy of philosophical discussions since an answer has not conclusively arrived, and may never arrive. The point of philosophy sometimes is entertaining scenarios such as this so we can individually arrive at our positions.

thanks this is the type of feedback I was expecting. Zhuangzi's example is perfect for this. What if we are the butterfly?

No problem. Good discussion starter but you won't get anything here in HL.