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Matrix blue pill or red4/16/2024 By escaping the cave or taking the red pill, everything becomes clear, and even if others perceive that liberation as suffering, the philosopher knows they are better off outside of the cave. Just as many of the prisoners would be scared of the fire and wish to return to the wall, many of those freed in The Matrix opt for the blue pill - stick to what you can already understand, just like the first film's Cypher character. Having only ever experienced the digital Matrix, humans perceive the world as reality, but the philosophically-minded individual can break free by taking the red pill and find the truth. To compare Plato's Allegory of the Cave to The Matrix, the row of chained prisoners are the humans, the ones casting shadows by firelight are the Machines and the shadows on the wall are the Matrix itself. Having accustomed to his new perception of reality, the prisoner would return to free the others, and they would resist, believing their escaped friend had been harmed, when in fact he was just struggling to see in the darkness after finally beholding the light of the sun. If he resisted that urge, or was forced to leave the cave, he would eventually learn the true nature of his reality. For Plato, only a philosopher can achieve this miraculous escape. Given the options on the table, these are more threats than choices.If one of the prisoners might escape, he would learn of the fire and fear it, desiring to be returned to his old existence. The same applies to The Matrix's red and blue pills, which is essentially a choice between cold, harsh reality, or a comfortable lie. Bugs' crew face getting killed by Machines, or getting punished by their superiors. One option is decidedly worse than the other in both cases, but neither is especially inviting. Thomas Anderson faces accepting his mental breakdown, or accepting the Machine apocalypse actually happened. The Matrix Resurrections also paints The Matrix's illusion of choice as a coercive tool. Isn't this why Trinity chose to leave the Matrix, rather than stay with her digital family? Bugs raises a point about whether humans are as free as they like to believe - digital programming ruled Neo's mind in the Matrix world, psychological programming determines his path in the real world. Whether picking a pill, selecting a door, or sacrificing his own life, Neo was never making choices in The Matrix because his actions were inevitable. We really do, in fact, live in a pill culture. As Bugs points out, a choice isn't a choice if the person already knows what decision they must make. The new Matrix has kept the franchise’s pill theme alive: the website for the new film offers you the choice, once again, of red and blue. The Matrix Resurrections proves The Matrix's red and blue pill dilemma was never about choice - it was a blend of coercive inevitability. When Morpheus rescues Neo from an Io holding cell, he gives him the choice between breaking free or staying put, then adds, " But that ain't a choice." During their therapy sessions, the Analyst describes Neo's struggle between mental breakdown and the Matrix being real as " not much of a choice," and Bugs' pilot utters " you call that a choice?" when told to pick between death by squids and an Io court martial. You already know what you have to do." This thematic thread runs throughout the entirety of The Matrix Resurrections. When Jessica Henwick's Bugs offers Yahya Abdul-Mateen's Morpheus/Smith hybrid his own two colored pills, she admits the scenario is entirely symbolic, claiming, " The woman with the pills laughed because I was missing the point. The Matrix Resurrections redefines the meaning of choice, proving the red pill/blue pill, the Architect's doors, and even Neo's sacrifice were all just an illusion of choice. Related: The Matrix 4's Zion Replacement Name Has 3 Hidden Easter Eggs
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