Movies and Philosophical Connections

Whether intentional or not, many movies have philosophical connections. This provides a framework in which movies that seem to have nothing in common can be aligned with one another. Some instances of philosophical elements in a film are obvious, while others must be interpreted based on the plot. Through these philosophical elements, screenwriters and directors can use films to ask existential questions about life and people, prompting people to think about these kinds of issues without even realizing they are thinking about philosophical questions and issues. This can be illustrated through The Matrix, Inception, and God’s Not Dead.

THE MATRIX

The Matrix, a 1999 film, is the first in a trilogy that centers on a man named Neo who discovers that the world around him is an illusion, and he is actually living in a dystopian society in which humans live their lives in a virtual reality state so their bodies can be used as sources of energy for sentient machines. While the primary focus of the movie is on Neo’s awakening from the virtual reality and his acceptance of his control over his life while he is in the matrix, and how to use that to his advantage, the underlying focus of the film is on the debate as to what is and is not real. That is, how can an individual ever really know what is real and what is not? (The Matrix)

The philosophy of Rene Descartes deals with existence and thought, which is directly related to the philosophical elements of The Matrix. Specifically, Descartes’s writings prove existence through thought in his famous assertion of “I think, therefore I am.” That is, since an individual has thought, that individual must exist in some capacity. This can be applied to The Matrix in the framework that though Neo discovers that everything he has ever known to be real is not real at all. However, under the philosophy of Descartes, Neo knows that he does exist because he has thoughts which allow him to interact with others within the matrix.

However, more importantly, viewers of the film are forced to think about what reality means and how perceptions of reality and alternate realities impact the lives of people who experience them. For example, in the film, the people who are not liberated from the matrix do not know any different in their lives (The Matrix). Once they are freed from the matrix, on the other hand, they not only view their lives differently, but their lives inside the matrix, as well (The Matrix).

INCEPTION

Inception was released in 2010 and also deal with what is real and what is not. However, while The Matrix’s alternate reality is in a computerized world, Inception’s alternate reality exists in the subconscious of the characters, manifesting in their dreams. The plot of the film is a group of less than ethical individuals who are hired to plant an idea in the mind of a high-profile business man to benefit a rival. However, throughout the movie, the team’s leader, Dom, struggles with the experiences both in and out of the dreams, even having trouble determining whether he is in the dream world or in reality. (Inception)

Like The Matrix, Inception can be linked to the philosophy of Descartes in the question of existence. Inception focuses on dreams instead of alternate realities. However, one significant difference between the two is the source of the two realities. That is, in Inception, the characters must decide for themselves which reality is true and which is a dream. This is why the characters choose totems, which are clues for whether or not they are dreaming (Inception). This is applicable to Descartes’s writing because it parallels his philosophy of thought and an idea being the best indicators to decide what is real and true or not. And, like The Matrix, the director of Inception uses the philosophical elements to lead the viewers into thinking about what is real and not real, and how individuals can tell the difference.

GOD’S NOT DEAD

Finally, God’s Not Dead, which was released in 2014, is a Christian film in which an evangelical student enrolls in a philosophy class taught by an atheist. The students in the course are required to sign a proclamation declaring that God is dead in order to pass the class. When Josh refuses, he is given the opportunity to debate the professor over the existence of God in three separate class sessions. (God’s Not Dead)

While Inception and The Matrix deal with Descartes’s struggle to prove what is real and not real, God’s Not Dead instead addresses the existence of God. However, this struggle is related to Descartes’s writings on self-existence, since God used his “cogito, ergo sum” philosophy as a foundation to prove God’s existence. In fact, it is the same type of argument used by Josh in the film as was used by Descartes. However, while Descartes’s writings focus on the existence of God through proving thought and existence, Josh proves the existence of God by linking thought and emotion to God (God’s Not Dead). This argument is different from what Descartes uses, but parallels it, and prompts the same types of questions that Descartes’s writing raised.

Works Cited

God’s Not Dead. Dir. Harold Cronk. Perf. Kevin Sorbo, Shane Harper, David A. R. White, & Dean Cain. Pure Flix Entertainment, 2014. Film.

Inception. Dir. Christopher Nolan. Perf. Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger, & Michael Caine. Warner Bros. Pictures, 2010. Film.

The Matrix. Dir. The Wachowski Brothers. Perf. Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, & Joe Pantoliano. Warner Bros., 1999. Film.