The Happy Slave

The Matrix
Huxley
Plato
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4 Themes
Illusion
Our consciousness is distorted
What we know, believe, desire

Intent
Illusions are intentional

Critique
We can detect illusion and its origins

Freedom
A world with less (no?) illusion

Themes are present in all 3 works

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The Matrix

The Situation
Recent Tech grad has enviable position in
software conglomerate
High income
Excellent career prospects
Nice cubicle office

But:
Something isnt right
A splinter in his mind
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Enlightenment
Outsiders target him
Agents of enlightenment
(problematic in itself)

Give him an option

He decides of his own will

Technology of enlightenment
A pill (Alice in Wonderland, Timothy Leary)

The Truth is revealed

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The Truth
Everything is an illusion
The Matrix
Conscious system of illusion
And control
And exploitation

It is a creation of other beings

Robots with AI

Reality
The desert of the real
A grim place
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Action Plan
Program of violence at the system
terrorists
Lots of fight scenes

Unclear what the solution is

We see the problem
What do we do about it?

Brave New World

Aldous Huxley, 1932

New Totalitarianism
Rapid technological change leads to
disorder
Solution is greater governmental control
Totalitarianism

But:
The old totalitarianism is inefficient
Famine, firing squad, slavery
Doesnt work
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The New Totalitarianism

Enroll people in their own slavery
No more coercion
Instead: enthusiam, willingness
Happy slaves
People love their servitude

false freedom?

Requires a revolution in human technology

Influence what people
Know
Believe
Desire

3 techniques
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1. The Old Techniques

Ministries of Propaganda
Newspaper editors
Teachers
Religion

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2. Strategic Silence
Make some things disappear
History
Alternative opinions

A single reality
Overbearingly real
With no known alternatives
iron curtain

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3. New Techniques
Make people actively love servitude
the problem of happiness

Improved techniques of suggestion

Education, marketing

Science of human differences

Match skills to job position (division of labor)

Pleasure breaks
Escape the system without harming the system
Drugs
Free sex
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Allegory of the Cave

Plato
400 BC
(2,400 years ago)
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Society As a Cave
Forcible chained
Prisoners

From childhood on
No known alternative

Shown shadows on a wall

Images vs. reality

Prisoner is forcibly liberated

Reluctantly dragged
Forced into the presence of the sun
Action by an agent of enlightenment
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Experience of Enlightenment:
Becoming a Philosopher
Not able to see
Blinded by the sun
Feels pain

Slowly grows accustomed

Can see the sun (truth)
Is now a philospher

Feels pity for his former co-prisoners

Returns to the cave
To help

(Oops!)
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Society Persecutes the Philosopher

Science of shadows
Philosopher does not excel
Seems ignorant

Honors & ambitions

Philosopher is indifferent
Seems indolent

Judgment
A fool
A criminal
Rightfully put to death
Socrates
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Reform Program
Train philosophers from childhood
They see the light from the beginning

The cave still exists

For most people
But philosophers are apart

But: dont let them stay apart

They must descend to the cave

Make them the rulers

They are above petty ambition
Love of truth is more powerful
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Themes

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1. Illusion
The Matrix
A dream so real that you cant tell it is a dream
a prison for your mind
You are a slave, Neo

Brave New World

Slaves must love their servitude
False happiness

The Cave
Seeing a world of shadows
Believing it is real
Chained in place, unable to move their heads
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2. Intent
The Matrix
A power source for machines
The desert of the real

Brave New World

The Cave
Puppeteers
The people (demos)
Enlightened person becomes enemy of the people
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3. Critique
The Matrix
you know something you cant explain you feel
it
like a splinter in your mind driving you mad
You cant be told; you have to see it for yourself
Take a pill

Brave New World

The Cave
Escape: from the chains
Courage: blinding light
Truth is outside
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4. Freedom
The Matrix
Violence

Brave New World

The Cave
The state embodies truth
Philosopher king
Commitment to entire society
Not just self-interest
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Themes
in the Readings

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Core Theme:
Consciousness is Problematic
We believe the mind to be un-problematic
Transparent
Neutral

Claim: it is not so
Contains bias, error, irrationality

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Free will
Exists as potential
People are free
Make choices
Determine their own lives

Consciousness is prior to free will

deal with the world as you know it
act consistently with your beliefs
pursue your interests

Free will is compromised by false consciousness

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Our Status: Happy Slaves

We possess free will
Not subject to coercion

But we possess false consciousness

Exercise of free will is undermined
We desire to be slaves
We love our servitude (Huxley)

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Consciousness
1. Knowledge (facts)
Shadows on the wall are real
Columbus discovered America in 1492

2. Belief
Societys honors are valuable
Wealth is a major source of happiness

3. Interest
We must defend ourselves against those who have
been outside the cave
I want to be president of the firm.
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False Consciousness
What we know, believe, and want is false
In readings:
Shadows
Computer simulation
Dream

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Truth
What is really going on
Unknown to us
Energy extraction
Cave
Social stability

The desert of the real (Matrix)

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Action Plan: 2 Steps

1. Free oneself from illusion
See the reality that is
Achieve free will informed by truth
the desert of the real
Stop being happy!

2. Work to realize freedom

Convention program of social change
Topple the masters, the system, etc.

(We are more interested in Step 1.)

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How can we know reality? 2 ways

1. External Intervention

Teacher/philosopher

Plato

drags us up from the cave

Morpheus

Privileged knowledge
Free from illusion
Tells us the truth

Gives Neo the pill

Assumes external third party

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How can we know reality?

2. Self-discovery
Bootstrapping
Muddle your way to truth

Starts with a feeling

Learn to articulate it

Errors
Pursue occasional clues

Learning to ride a bicycle

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Active Defense by Slaves

We dont want to know reality
desert of the real

Opposition of the slaves

Resist their liberators
Attack them

Undermines truth and honor

Prisoners defend the system
Solution: Force them to be free?
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The Ethical Question

False consciousness negates our own
autonomy
Can someone else know our interests
better than us?
Is it OK to force someone to be free?

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Summary:
Claims of Plato, The Matrix, Huxley

Although we possess free will, in practice we are enslaved. We are

prisoners in a social system that we do not understand and do not
even recognize. We actively contribute to our status as slaves,
because we believe that it is factually necessary, consistent with
our principles, and serves our best interests. Were someone to try
to free us, we would likely turn on that person and attack them.
Some enlightened individuals possess superior knowledge about
the truth (or they claim to possess it.) They may try to enlighten us.
Also, we may have some intuitions about our true state, and we
make seek enlightenment on our own volition.

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