[Nottingham] Matrix Reloaded

[Alex Tibbles]

 --- James Gibbon <james.gibbon@virgin.net> wrote: > 
> As a matter of fact, I have read, and understood
> both.  I studied
> philosophy at University years ago, albeit part of a
> 'Humanities'
> degree course.  As far as the 'philosophy of the
> Matrix films' is
> concerned - ROTFLMAO, I doubt whether even the
> producers
> expected anyone over the age of 15 to take it
> seriously (no 
> offence if you aren't actually over 15).
What got my heckles up about this is the same thing as
when a slashdot post begins "Having studied this at
college at a grad student and worked in the field for
5 years...". I dislike arguments by authority - they
are a kind of reverse ad hominem.

In this particular case, I'm suspicious of anyone who
claims to have "read and understood both Kant and
Plato". Both philosophers wrote an incredible amount,
and in Kant's case, of very difficult to read and
understand material. There are many academics who
devote *years* to studying *one* of Kant's books.

Admittedly, there may not be a great deal of Kant's
works that are relevant to 'the philosophy of the
matrix', but Plato and his more recent critics are
very relevant. The question of what you call reality
is one that's pretty hard to answer (for an amusing
version of this, see
http://www.philosophers.co.uk/games/games.htm).

<snip>
> The last Bond film suffered from the same emphasis
> on the
> impressive as well.  Impressive photography, stunts
> and sets, great
> soundtrack, deft editing, crap film.  'From Russia
> With Love' must
> have been made on a fraction of its budget, but it
> engages with the
> viewer in a way that 'Die Another Way' never will.

I think that this is attributable to Hollywood's
rather perverse take on "If you're going to do
something, you may as well do it properly.". They seem
to think this means that all films must have the most
money possible spent on them, to 'guarantee' success.

The Matrix has a fair amount of plot squeezed in
amongst the action, Reloaded has less, mainly because
Neo-and-audience learn all the important new things at
the end of the film, rather than in the middle (as in
The Matrix).

alex

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