hey you
now that i've whipped out my dusty notes, i think i can better explain descartes philosophy to you (as if you really give a bird's doo doo)
ok Descartes was born during the age of reasoning, or the Enlightment period and he's a philosopher.
He wrote a book called Meditations on First Philosophy, which is the one i have right in hand here.in his 3 meditations, he seeks answer to the existence of God, self, and basically logic
so how's his questioning to the existence of self related to the Matrix?
Descartes wonders what makes himself think that he really exists, suppose everything he sees feels and senses is controlled by an unknown being who's making him think that he is a human being, while he's really a...uhh...i dunno...lima bean? how would he know that he's actually not human being but a lima bean? (sorry, can't think of anything better, it rhymes anyways) So there is nothing you can really put a finger on that truly tells you that you are yourself.
After like 2000 words of blah blah blah, he came up with the conclusion that the thought "I exist" must be true every time I think it. It's impossible for me to doubt that I think. It's just incoherent to say "I think I dont think". So i know I'm thinking and if I'm thinking, there must be a "me" to do the thinking. This one fundamental principle can serve as a foundation upon which to arrive at truth. Therefore, I am a thinking thing; mind that doubts, understands, affirms, wills, refuses, imagines, and senses.
the only difference between Descartes and Matrix is that Descartes concluded that he's in control of his mind, while Matrix doubts it. However, he did go through the Matrix phase, to confirm his own existence. If Descartes watched the Matrix, he would probably say "if the computers make you think,and make you think that you think, then you really do think and really do exist" ^_^
maybe that'd help you appreciate the movie even more since u like it so much.
ok ur nerdy gf will stop here.
miss you,
chia
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