Red or blue pill? The noble temptation of the System. A new look at the film "The Matrix"

They offer a choice between a red and a blue pill. The blue pill will allow you to remain in the artificially created reality of the Matrix, that is, to live in the “unknown of illusion,” while the red pill will lead to an escape from the Matrix into the real world, that is, into the “true reality,” despite the fact that this is a more cruel, complex life .

Origin

IN "The Matrix" there are references to historical myths and philosophy, Gnosticism, existentialism, nihilism. The film's premise comes from Plato's allegory of the cave, René Descartes' skepticism and evil spirits, Kant's ideas about phenomenon and the thing in itself, Zhuang Tzu's butterfly, the concept of simulating reality, and the brain-in-a-flask thought experiment.

Matrix

In The Matrix, Neo (Keanu Reeves) hears rumors about the Matrix and mysterious man named Morpheus. Neo spends his nights on the computer, trying to find out the secret of the Matrix and what it is. Eventually another hacker, Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), introduces Neo to Morpheus.

Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) explains to Neo that the Matrix is ​​an illusory world created to prevent humans from learning that they are slaves external influence. Holding a pill in each hand, he describes to Neo the choice he faces.

The blue tablet will allow you to remain in the artificial reality of the Matrix, while the red one will help determine the location of the human body in real world and “separation” of it from the Matrix. The choice between the blue and red pills is irreversible.

Neo chooses the red pill and wakes up in the real world, where he is thrown out of the fluid-filled chamber where he lay unconscious. After being rescued and recovered on Nebuchadnezzar, Morpheus shows Neo true nature The Matrices: a detailed simulation of the Earth as of the late 20th century (the year of action is not specified exactly, but it is approximately two hundred years ago relative to the time of Neo's awakening). It is designed to keep people's minds in subjection while their bodies are stored in huge power plants where heat and bio-energy are used by the machines that have enslaved the people.

Gödel, Escher, Bach

Douglas Gofstadter in the book Gödel, Escher, Bach(1979) introduces two characters emerging from the two-dimensional world of Escher's prints by drinking liquid from blue and red bottles. Hofstadter remembers great influence Lewis Carroll on this book, the "enter" and "exit" bottles are analogies of the "drink me" potion and the "eat me" cake, in " Alice in Wonderland", which reduced and increased it. The Matrix very clearly references Alice in Wonderland with the phrases " White Rabbit” and “down the rabbit hole.”

Remember all

In film " Remember all"(1990) the red pill is offered to Arnold Schwarzenegger's character, Douglas Quaid: "This symbol is a symbol of your desire to return to reality." There is no blue pill in the film, and the plot revolves around the unknown, Quaid in a dream, in the real world. However, they offer him a pill with the assertion that Quaid is still sleeping, and the pill will return him to reality, the words “in your dream you will fall asleep” sound.

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Excerpt characterizing the Red and Blue Pills

“Bonaparte l"a dit, [Bonaparte said this],” said Prince Andrei with a grin.
(It was clear that he did not like the Viscount, and that, although he did not look at him, he directed his speeches against him.)
“Je leur ai montre le chemin de la gloire,” he said after a short silence, again repeating Napoleon’s words: “ils n"en ont pas voulu; je leur ai ouvert mes antichambres, ils se sont precipites en foule”... Je ne sais pas a quel point il a eu le droit de le dire [I showed them the path of glory: they did not want to; I opened my front doors to them: they rushed in a crowd... I don’t know to what extent he had the right to say that.]
“Aucun, [None],” the Viscount objected. “After the Duke’s murder, even the most biased people stopped seeing him as a hero.” “Si meme ca a ete un heros pour certaines gens,” said the Viscount, turning to Anna Pavlovna, “depuis l"assassinat du duc il y a un Marietyr de plus dans le ciel, un heros de moins sur la terre. [If he was a hero for some people, then after the murder of the Duke there was one more martyr in heaven and one less hero on earth.]
Before Anna Pavlovna and the others had time to appreciate these words of the Viscount with a smile, Pierre again burst into the conversation, and Anna Pavlovna, although she had a presentiment that he would say something indecent, could no longer stop him.
“The execution of the Duke of Enghien,” said Monsieur Pierre, “was a state necessity; and I precisely see the greatness of the soul in the fact that Napoleon was not afraid to take upon himself the sole responsibility in this act.
- Dieul mon Dieu! [God! my God!] - Anna Pavlovna said in a terrible whisper.
“Comment, M. Pierre, vous trouvez que l"assassinat est grandeur d"ame, [How, Monsieur Pierre, you see the greatness of the soul in murder," said the little princess, smiling and moving her work closer to her.
- Ah! Oh! - said different voices.
– Capital! [Excellent!] - Prince Ippolit said in English and began to hit himself on the knee with his palm.
The Viscount just shrugged. Pierre looked solemnly over his glasses at the audience.
“I say this because,” he continued with despair, “because the Bourbons fled from the revolution, leaving the people to anarchy; and Napoleon alone knew how to understand the revolution, defeat it, and therefore, for the common good, he could not stop before the life of one person.
– Would you like to go to that table? - said Anna Pavlovna.
But Pierre, without answering, continued his speech.
“No,” he said, becoming more and more animated, “Napoleon is great because he rose above the revolution, suppressed its abuses, retained everything good - the equality of citizens, and freedom of speech and the press - and only because of this he acquired power.”
“Yes, if he, having taken power without using it to kill, would have given it to the rightful king,” said the Viscount, “then I would call him a great man.”
- He couldn't do that. The people gave him power only so that he could save him from the Bourbons, and because the people saw him as a great man. The revolution was a great thing,” continued Monsieur Pierre, showing this desperate and defiant introductory sentence his great youth and desire to express himself more and more fully.
– Are revolution and regicide a great thing?... After that... would you like to go to that table? – Anna Pavlovna repeated.
– Contrat social, [ Social contract,] – the Viscount said with a meek smile.
- I'm not talking about regicide. I'm talking about ideas.
“Yes, the ideas of robbery, murder and regicide,” the ironic voice interrupted again.
– These were extremes, of course, but the whole meaning is not in them, but the meaning is in human rights, in emancipation from prejudice, in the equality of citizens; and Napoleon retained all these ideas in all their strength.
“Freedom and equality,” said the Viscount contemptuously, as if he had finally decided to seriously prove to this young man the stupidity of his speeches, “that’s all.” loud words, which have long been compromised. Who doesn't love freedom and equality? Our Savior also preached freedom and equality. Did people become happier after the revolution? Against. We wanted freedom, and Bonaparte destroyed it.
Prince Andrei smiled, looking first at Pierre, then at the Viscount, then at the hostess. At the first minute of Pierre's antics, Anna Pavlovna was horrified, despite her habit of light; but when she saw that, despite the sacrilegious speeches uttered by Pierre, the Viscount did not lose his temper, and when she was convinced that it was no longer possible to hush up these speeches, she gathered her strength and, joining the Viscount, attacked the speaker.

October 22nd, 2015

New person- this is the one who has the potential to change the System, update its version, rewrite the rules. In fact, this is a representative of a new species, a mutation, a leap, an adequate response to inadequate conditions.

Information about the New Man is in plain sight for everyone. But until you know about it, you cannot see it. The Wachowski brothers, directors of The Matrix, were definitely in the know. And they put it in this film where more information than it seems.

What is the name of the main character of the film? Agents invariably call him "Mr. Anderson." This is his matrix surname. It comes from ancient Greek and is translated as “man”. Agents, addressing him in this way, seem to constantly emphasize this - you are just a person. The hero himself calls himself Neo. And this is the name his friends call him. Neo translates to "New". And if you add these two names, you get “New Man”.

What is this film about? The question seems trivial. But that's not true. And this is perhaps the most interesting thing.

I rewatched this movie the other day and was surprised that I hadn't seen it before. However, why am I surprised? We see and hear only what we want. And Neo demonstrates this in the best possible way. Key moment The film is a conversation between Morpheus and Neo about the nature of the Matrix, during which Neo is offered a choice.

This fragment is very rich and should be examined carefully. Listen to Morpheus' words and look at the symbolism of the scene. He says:

- Alas, it is impossible to explain what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself.

He puts the pills in his hands and adds:

- It's not too late to refuse. Then there will be no turning back.

Morpheus holds out left hand, which contains a blue pill. And he says the following (be careful):

- Take the blue pill and the fairy tale will end. You will wake up in your bed and believe it was a dream.

Please note that Morpheus offers him something that is not at all what it seems at first glance. He offers him awakening, end of the fairy tale. At the same time, the director gives a hint. He shows his left hand in the reflection of Morpheus's glasses, where it appears as his right hand.

- If you take the red pill, you will enter wonderland. I'll show you how deep the rabbit hole is.

And again reflections in glasses. Again the hands change places.

What does he offer him with the red pill? Not awakening. Not freedom. Not a way out of the Matrix. Not her change. No. He offers wonders and knowledge.

When Neo reaches out right hand, we see this again in the reflection of the glasses, i.e. as if in the left hand. And Morpheus stops him with the words:

- Remember. I'm just suggesting that you find out the truth. Nothing else.

And Neo takes the red pill, then drinks it.

Flash of lightning. Morpheus's smile.

You've got it, Neo. You took the hook from someone whose name speaks for itself. IN Greek mythology Morpheus is the god of dreams. And Morpheus is just latin pronunciation this name. It is translated as “the one who shapes dreams.” What can you get from the lord of dreams?

Only dreams.

Morpheus in the film is part of a dream that Neo sees, and in terms of Morpheus himself, another program of the Matrix. And Morpheus’s task is to prolong this dream. He does this by convincingly believing in the reality of the character Neo.

And it is now obvious to me that Neo’s awakening was also false. The first false awakening was at the very beginning of the film, when Neo wakes up in his office and sees on the monitor: “Wake up, Neo.” Moreover, at the beginning he still doubts the reality of what is happening. But with the appearance of Morpheus and the second false awakening (exit from the Matrix), his doubts leave him. He believed in what was happening and accepted it as the ultimate reality. But all we saw in this film were dreams nested within each other.

Neo swallowed not just one hook, but a whole armful. Here is the hook “thirst for knowledge”, here is the “desire for love”, here is the “desire for justice”, here is the “world with which something is wrong”, and here is the “fight with the Matrix for all this”. All this keeps Neo asleep and throughout the film we see how his subconscious is trying to convey to him the meaning of what is happening.

All his noble urges are the reason why the dream continues. This is his “noble temptation.” The red color of the pill is a symbolic hint to this, which is later explained in the scene with the girl in red, whose role is to distract.

While you are fighting the System, you are interacting with it. You feed her and you belong to her. As long as you have goals, you are still in the System, because all goals and motives involve objects within it. This is her territory.

Did Neo make the wrong choice of pill?

Morpheus did not deceive Neo about anything. He only offered him the truth . And nothing more. And there really is no turning back. As well as forward.

Right is left, left is right. This is what we saw in the reflections of the Matrix. And both tablets are equivalent. Both lead to false awakening. Only one with miracles, the other without.

Awakening cannot depend on another. No one will wake you up, Neo. It's not as cheap as you thought.

Don't choose by ignoring the System - the only way leave her.

Good afternoon. I have for you good news. The Matrix surrounds us. Even now, in this room. You see it when you look out your window or read this column. Although in reality there is neither a window nor this column. This world was placed before your eyes to obscure the truth...

The relationship between a man and a woman is also a Matrix. The illusion that a couple creates for each other. Are you sure you want to know the whole truth about your chosen one? Which pill would you choose on occasion: red or blue?

The red pill is a symbol of bold choice. Most people, and you probably think, would have accepted it if they were Neo. True, they rarely offer it. And if they offer it, and you agree, there is no turning back... I want to talk today about the place of truth and illusions in the relationship between a man and a woman.

A man tells an average of 179 lies a day. Woman - about two hundred.

You are being deceived. And they often deceive. Often this is done by people close to you, about whom you cannot even think of this. Moreover, you yourself are constantly deceiving these same people. Yes... Things like that. U homo sapiens this is generally in the order of things. According to the results of a study conducted by scientists at Emory University, it turned out that a man tells a lie on average 179 times a day. Woman - about two hundred. If you don’t believe me, try to monitor yourself for at least a few hours. However, in most cases we're talking about about such little things that are not worth talking about or thinking about. This lie is as natural to us as breathing in and out.

But. About 15-20% of deceptions are completely conscious. Add to this the things you are hiding. That is, you don’t lie about them, but you don’t advertise them too much. And what you don’t agree on. That is, it’s also like there’s no crime, and yet. All this, plus, of course, your very best feelings, and creates the very Matrix within which your man lives. He reciprocates your feelings - with his set of illusions.

One of my friends, married and quite happy family life, opened an account on a dating site. Just. Due to the fact that she is a very sociable lady. Without any strictly punishable plans. There's probably nothing particularly bad about this. But should her husband know about this?

Another friend of mine sees her first boyfriend from time to time.

In secret from my husband, of course. In her opinion, he had no need to know about this. Just unnecessary nerves, and we’re just drinking coffee.

my wife former colleague(by the way, a wonderful family man) would hardly be happy if she found out on what kind of sites her husband spends a considerable part of his working time. I don't know yet. And everything is fine with them. I hope it will continue to be the same.
In each couple, the volume and form of deception varies greatly.

By the way, you also have a chance to lie right here, in the comments, by saying that there is no deception at all in your couple.

Over time, the lies accumulate, it becomes more and more difficult to cope with the volumes, and the other half consciously or subconsciously has a choice: to find out “how deep the rabbit hole really is” or, washing down the blue pill of blissful ignorance with a dry martini, stay in the Matrix for some more time . The whole problem is this very time. If I feel good now, and I’m sure it will always be like this, bring me the blue pill. I'm not interested in the fact that I might not know something.

You can live in the Matrix if you convince yourself that it is reality.

Twin brothers studied with me on the course. They walked with terrible force. Despite the fact that both had regular girlfriends who also studied with us at the institute. At some regular drinking party, one well-wisher opened the eyes of the girls to the adventures of their young people with a detailed layout: who, with whom, where and when. One of the girls rushed to find out how true the story was. The second said that she believed her young man. The first couple broke up almost immediately. In the second, a second child was recently born.

The relationship between a man and a woman is like a religion for individual use. It doesn't matter whether there really is a God or not. The key concept here is “faith.” God exists as long as you believe in him. But doubts and half-knowledge are mortally dangerous. Reckless observance of the commandments is the road to personal paradise during life.

Maximilian Voloshin has a poem that is so relevant to the topic that I want to quote it in full:

Deceive me, but completely, forever,
So as not to think why, so as not to remember when,
To believe the deception freely, without thoughts,
To follow someone in the dark at random.

And not to know who came, who blindfolded,
Who leads the labyrinth of unknown halls,
Whose breath burns on my cheek,
Who squeezes my hand so tightly in his hand.

And when I wake up, I see only night and fog,
Deceive and believe in the deception yourself,
Deceive me, but completely, forever,
So as not to think why and not remember when.

It is possible to live in the Matrix. Especially if you convince yourself that it is reality. If you don't let the Morpheuses get close to you when a cannon is fired, and instead of taking pills of all colors, switch to fresh vegetables.

For a person who will never know what the real reality is, the Matrix is ​​the real reality.

Living in the Matrix is ​​difficult. If you know that this is the Matrix, reality can hit you at any moment. Then fear and uncertainty appear. For the inhabitants of the Matrix, this is like death.

It is possible to live in reality. But for this you need to always be strong. And do not create Matrices for others. Living in reality is more difficult. Neo, having accepted Morpheus' offer and finding himself in the "desert of reality", learns that reality is actually much more terrible than he could have imagined.

To live in reality, you must always be strong.

If you thought your relationship was ideal, and then you opened your eyes wide to something, got horrified, cried and didn’t get out of depression for a week, after a while you may experience interesting effect. You will want to go back to the Matrix. Like Cypher, remember? “I know this steak doesn’t exist. I know that when I put a piece in my mouth, the Matrix tells my brain that it is juicy and tasty. Do you know what I learned in nine years? Ignorance is bliss."

I don’t know what I personally would have done if I were Neo. I would probably be very wary if a huge black man in a black raincoat offered me some pills in the dark that promised to expand my consciousness.

And you - choose. Daily. Red and blue.

When you are stuck in the Matrix. Your actions?

A topic to ponder for fans of the film "The Matrix". Of course, there is always a choice. There are at least four options.

Take the blue pill - you can get stuck in the Matrix even deeper.

Take the red pill - find out the truth.

Accept a lollipop from Pythia - find out the reasons for your choice. Know yourself.

Eat a French olive - find out the causes of events and phenomena.

What happens if you combine them? You can imagine.

Blue + Red - Then Morpheus finds the body in Neo’s “fields” and becomes his guardian angel (by the standards of the Matrix). Neo remains ordinary resident Matrices.

Blue + Lollipop - Morpheus and the team fly away. Neo discovers his destiny, understands what he needs. He brings order to his life in The Matrix. But of his two lives, only one remains. But Pythia equally ready to chat with both Neo and Thomas Anderson. Feed him cookies and ask him only understandable questions.

Blue + Olive - Neo remains in the Matrix to lead double life. He gets a job in a special service and becomes an agent - a hacker. But out of habit, he indulges in petty cyber pranks. Or maybe not even small ones.

Red + Lollipop - Neo exits the Matrix. He immediately understands the essence of his destiny. (What the audience learns throughout all parts of the film) Captures the ship. Teams up with that bald cameraman who misses the Matrix. He organizes a coup in Zion and prohibits the release of new people. Does not allow the number of inhabitants to reach the number of 250,000 that the Architect intended. Then he goes to the Architect and sets his own conditions for the reboot. The ones Pythia named at the end of the film.

Red + Olive - Neo exits the Matrix. He sees in advance the causes of all troubles. He immediately turns over to Morpheus the bald operator who wants to turn them all in. Morpheus will not be caught, Agent Smith will not escape the control of the system. Instead, Neo goes to Persifona and kisses her, no questions asked. And the first time - as it should be. While Trinity distracts the Frenchman in the women's restroom. Persifona gives Neo the Master Keys in joy. They all go to the Architect in a crowd and give him a blue pill. The architect retires, forgetting about the Matrix and becoming a simple citizen. Neo becomes the new Architect.

Lollipop + Olive - Neo subjugates the matrix without even knowing about its existence. By force of will, he hacks artificial intelligence and now the agents work for him. Although he doesn't even know that they are programs. The architect works part-time for Neo as a system administrator.
Neo has one problem - he can’t give his wife the phone.

What if there are three?

Blue + Red + Lollipop - Neo forgets about the Matrix. But Morpheus becomes his guardian angel. Neo somehow keeps getting into trouble. Agents hunt Neo while trying to track down Morpheus. And Morpheus constantly saves Neo, trying not to get caught by the agents himself. In the end, Morpheus goes to the Frenchman and Persiphone and exchanges Neo for the Master of Keys, and goes to the Architect himself. Neo becomes the new Keymaster. The Frenchman protects Neo from agents. Persifona sometimes tries to teach Neo how to kiss out of boredom. The Frenchman tries to teach Neo control. Morpheus tries to teach him how to fight. Trinity sometimes visits Neo's body in the fields and writes sweet nothings about white rabbits to him via the Internet.

Blue + Red + Olive - Neo forgets about the Matrix. But he begins to understand cause and effect better. He becomes the disciplined programmer Thomas Anderson. He goes to bed on time so as not to oversleep for work. He gets promoted and does great career. Getting into elite, he meets a Frenchman. They have a lot in common. They both revel in power. While the Frenchman protects his programs from being erased, Neo protects his own - Morpheus and Trinity - from agents. Trinity falls in love with that bald cameraman, and he becomes the chosen one. Eventually, the bald operator gets to the Architect and restarts the Matrix.

Blue + Lollipop + Olive - Neo forgets about the Matrix. He writes his own Artificial intelligence, which turns out to be so perfect and powerful that it seizes control of the Matrix and the world of machines. Not without the help of a conspiracy with the French, of course. The Architect is trying to hack Neo's Artificial Intelligence and take back control. In the end, he recognizes the perfection of Neo's intellect and the completeness of his work and calms down.

Red + Lollipop + Olive - Neo exits the Matrix. But instead of saving Morpheus, he returns to Zion and secretly hacks into the city’s main computer. Changes the access codes that Morpheus knows to others. Then he goes to the Frenchman and gives him these codes in exchange for a key master. The Frenchman also gains power over Zion and protects it from machines. The two of them persuade the Architect to leave Zeon alone.

What if it’s all at once!

Blue + Red + Lollipop + Olive - Neo wakes up in the morning and realizes that he overslept. He doesn’t remember what he did that night or what pills he took. But he understood his fate and saw the causes and consequences of events. Neo goes to work and before he can be fired, he quits himself. Without waiting for re-arrest, he surrenders to agents and receives a prison term. While in prison, he gradually bends spoons, telling other prisoners that there is no spoon. On days of clear weather, he even sometimes flies. He often talks to the Architect and Pythia through the walls of the cell, insistently asking not to destroy Zion. Which leads others to some confusion. Trinity and Morpheus sometimes visit him, both in the Matrix and outside of it.

One day in the middle of the night Neo will wake up and see that his cell has two doors...

What if you don't take anything?
- Neo, remember, I only want to tell you the truth. Take a pill.
- Eat your pills yourself, Morpheus. Can you explain everything to me in words, without pills?
- You won't believe me without the pill, Neo.
- What kind of house is this? Are you hanging out with girls here? Where are we?
- The main thing is not “where”, but “when”. It's the 22nd century now. Machines have captured people and we grow on trees, and the sky is covered with clouds forever, and people live underground in the sewers, and programs hack programs, but it happens the other way around, when programs get out of control of the programs and reprogram themselves. Now, what question do you think is appropriate in this situation?

(Neo, after some thought)
- Maybe we can open a factory to produce your pills?

p.s. ATTENTION! This article and survey is NOT propaganda for taking any pills or their combinations, or the result of their action. Please do not take the text too seriously.

I'll go ahead and open the topic V

A Zen parable in a new way.

Original taken from k_gopnik c Red or blue?

Someone asked the Great Master:
- You have to choose: red or blue pill which one would you choose? Teacher?
- I would say that “I’m full enough,” answered the Master.


As is known, modern Computer techologies are based on the use of binary (Boolean) logic - 1 or 0 - true or false (TRUE or FALSE).
There is not much choice - what is considered true and what is a lie. There is no third option - just like in the movie The Matrix - either a return back to the matrix or the so-called “exit” from it (and in fact, a change in the matrix illusion from a familiar one to an unusual one with the manifestation of superpowers).

A zero or a one is one bit of information - the smallest particle that conveys information in modern computer systems. And this information is just a conditional difference between signal levels (in electrics - potential difference):

The analogy with "Schrödinger's cat" from quantum physics- Is the cat alive or dead? (quantum uncertainty) - if it is not possible to observe a cat that is in a closed box, then for the observer he is both alive and dead at the same time:

The combination of 8 bits gives us a byte - in which 256 unique states can be transmitted (2 to the 8th power).
Well, then off we go:

But this post is not about measurements and architecture of computers and networks, but about key concept- bit, or state of choice.
Choosing between truth and lies.

What is truth and what is false? After all, these concepts repel and depend on each other - just as there is no day without night, so there is no night without day...
Where then is the Truth? "The truth is somewhere nearby..." - as they said in the series " Secret materials"Or maybe she's somewhere in the middle?

If a bit can only take one of two states 0 or 1, then a quantum bit (qubit) carries two states at once - both true and false:

So if Morpheus suddenly comes to you with an offer to choose one of two pills, then eat both at once, or even better, kick him in the neck :)))

By the way, this limitation of choice to two options in the film The Matrix slips not only during the dialogue with Morpheus, but also with the Architect, who gives Neo only two doors of choice - two options:

Yes, yes - the Matrix is ​​the Indian Vedas inside out - the “architect” speaks disparagingly about Love, in contrast to this:

The seers of the Rig Veda considered God to be the eternal Father, Mother and Friend. They also felt that God is their Beloved. God has many aspects, but the devoted seer prefers the aspect of God the Master. He prays to his Lord for Compassion and Blessing. He came to the realization that if he has the Love of God and God-Love, then he needs nothing else either from earth or from Heaven.

Sri Chinmoy"



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