Who said ignorance is bliss in the matrix

Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox! Why is a universe composed of software necessarily any less real than one composed of matter? Those questions were raised in response to a somewhat worrying ambition growing in Silicon Valley: to prove that our everyday, existence is a fabrication just like the Matrix, and to then find a way of breaking out of it.

On one level, these might sound like the ramblings of rich computer geniuses with too much time on their hands; if just about all aspects of our working lives can be simplified with apps, the thinking seems to go, then maybe reality itself is just a piece of software that can be hacked and reshaped. Just as everything looks like a nail to a hammer, so everything looks like code to a programmer.

From 4th century mystics to 17th century philosophers to 20th century writers like Philip K. Dick, the nature of existence and what might lie beyond it has constantly been probed and questioned. There is, however, a nagging problem with the simulation hypothesis: what if our simulated reality is also built inside a simulation?

Viewed like this, it becomes clear that Cypher is living in the middle of a philosophical quandary. We can only wonder how many of them, after choosing to leave one reality, wound up regretting the decision as much as Cypher did. Before the tech gurus of Silicon Valley starts probing too far into the possibly computer-generated fabric of our reality, then, maybe they should consider the consequences of swallowing the red pill.

For all his flaws, Cypher is, as his name implies, a stand-in for ordinary people like us: we all need fiction, and we all create virtual realities around ourselves, whether that means gravitating towards like-minded friends or reading newspapers that reflect our worldview. Skip to main content area. This Matrix article contains spoilers.

Join our mailing list Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox! Share: Share on Facebook opens in a new tab Share on Twitter opens in a new tab Share on Linkedin opens in a new tab Share on email opens in a new tab Comment: Comments count: 0. Tags: The Matrix The Wachowskis. Trinity : What did you just say? Neo : Nothing.

Trinity : What did you see? Cypher : What happened? Neo : A black cat went past us, and then another that looked just like it. Trinity : How much like it? Was it the same cat? Neo : It might have been. I'm not sure.

Morpheus : Switch! Neo : What is it? It happens when they change something. Morpheus : The pill you took is part of a trace program. Neo : What does that mean? Cypher : It means fasten your seat belt Dorothy, 'cause Kansas is going bye-bye.

Cypher : You know I used to dream about you. You're a beautiful woman, Trinity. Too bad things had to turn out this way. Trinity : You killed them. Apoc : What? Switch : Oh God. Cypher : I'm tired, Trinity.

I'm tired of this world. I'm tired of fighting, tired of this ship, being cold and eating the same goddamn groop every day.

But most of all, I'm tired of that jag-off and all of his bullshit. Cypher : [to Morpheus] Surprise, asshole! I bet you never saw this coming, did you? God, I wish I could be there when they break you. I wish I could walk in just when it happens. So that right then, you'd know it was me. Trinity : You gave them Morpheus.

Cypher : He lied to us, Trinity. He tricked us! If you had told us the truth, we'd have told you to shove that red pill right up your ass! Trinity : That's not true, Cypher, he set us free. Cypher : [looking up inside the Nebuchadnezzar] Free. All I do is what he tells me to do. If I have to choose between that and the Matrix. I choose the Matrix! Cypher : [coughs after sampling an alcoholic drink] Good shit, huh?

Dozer makes it. It's good for two things, degreasing engines and killing brain cells. Cypher : Yeah. Trinity : Is everything in place? Cypher : You weren't supposed to relieve me. Trinity : I know, but I felt like taking a shift. Cypher : You like him, don't you? You like watching him. Trinity : Don't be ridiculous. Cypher : We're gonna kill him. You understand that?

Trinity : Morpheus believes he is the one. Cypher : Do you? Trinity : It doesn't matter what I believe. Cypher : You don't, do you? Trinity : Did you hear that?