Consciousness and Reality in the “Matrix” Film Report

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Introduction

It is hard to disagree that numerous psychological concepts are challenging to comprehend. For example, although a person may dedicate much time exploring consciousness, perceptions, and reality, it is still tricky because one needs to use their brain to understand how processes within it work. The three mentioned concepts are interconnected and affect how people make a decision and form their attitudes toward the world. The purpose of this paper is to discuss some issues associated with consciousness, perceptions, and reality, as well as mention how these elements are integrated into the Matrix movie.

Perception vs. Reality

Each day, people can notice how their beliefs, intuitions, and senses make them perceive the world around them correctly or incorrectly. For instance, as explained by Simons, in some cases, an individual’s brain prevents them from seeing a thing or a process the way it actually happens (TEDx Talks, 2011). Although a person may be aware that they are currently experiencing an illusion, their brain still tricks them (OpenStax, 2020; TEDx Talks, 2011). Additionally, it is also possible for a person to purposefully persuade themselves about an effect of their ineffective treatment or a nice taste of tasteless food, and their brain will believe it (Sutcliffe, 2018). This can be called the placebo effect or a simulation, which is explored in Matrix (Modern Gamer TV, 2017). Further, Usmani indicates that one might consciously or subconsciously make decisions on the basis of what they assume, feel, or believe, which proves that they live in an altered reality (TEDx Talks, 2019). However, if people make choices in accordance with relevant experiences, facts, and knowledge, they do not allow their perceptions to trick them, living in the real world.

Consciousness

Further, it might be engaging to explore some concepts and issues related to consciousness. Firstly, according to Kaku, although there is extensive research available on this topic, it is still impossible to give a certain and suitable definition of this term (Big Think, 2011). The primary reason is that scientists cannot answer the questions of what exactly it means to be conscious, what ways of encoding the state of consciousness exist, and at what point consciousness becomes unconsciousness (Big Think, 2011). These questions serve as a basis for the plot of Matrix (Modern Gamer TV, 2017). Another concept related to the inability to clearly define consciousness is a debatable perception of artificial intelligence (AI) as a way for humans to become immortal. According to Kaku, in the future, people expect to insert their brains, memories, and consciousness itself into robots (Big Think, 2011). Nevertheless, it is questionable whether these robots will become personalities and actually be considered conscious.

What is more, several phases of this state exist, and various factors, such as biological rhythms or one’s own intentions to affect the central nervous system, can alter an individual’s state of consciousness. For example, sleep is a quite interesting, significant, and complex process that can be perceived as frequent periods of proto-consciousness that help people maintain their consciousness during the hours of their activity (OpenStax, 2020). Certain disorders, such as insomnia, narcolepsy, restless leg syndrome, sleep apnea, and others, ruin this mutual link between sleeping and being active and make it challenging for a person to distinguish between reality and dreams.

Conclusion

To conclude, it is actually interesting how humans’ brains work in a way that they can trick each other into believing anything. For example, a person might fail to understand that they see an illusion, while they may also persuade themselves that what they desire actually happens in real life. Further, while the concept of consciousness is well-studied, it is still confusing to define the exact moment when it turns into unconsciousness.

References

Big Think. (2011). [Video]. YouTube. Web.

Modern Gamer TV. (2017). [Video]. YouTube. Web.

OpenStax. (2020). Psychology (2nd ed.). XanEdu Publishing.

Sutcliffe, D. (2018). [Video]. YouTube. Web.

TEDx Talks. (2011). [Video]. YouTube. Web.

TEDx Talks. (2019). [Video]. YouTube. Web.

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