This article explores why Neo, the protagonist of the movie The Matrix, chose to take the red pill, comparing the value of reality and virtual reality and discussing the essential difference between the real and the fake. Neo’s choice can be interpreted not only as a physical difference, but also as an expression of the human instinct to seek psychological satisfaction and authenticity of existence.
Since its release in 1999, the movie “The Matrix” has mesmerized audiences around the world. The movie is set in 2199, a world dominated by machines, and the protagonist, NEO, is faced with a choice that will have a long-lasting impact on human history. In this world, humans are grown in incubators like livestock and used as a source of energy, and human consciousness, which has been programmed into brain cells by AI, lives a peaceful and routine life in a virtual reality called “The Matrix” in 1999. Compared to the horrific world outside, the Matrix is a paradise. Meanwhile, a group of hackers, led by Morpheus, have escaped from the AI’s incubator and set out to find the savior of humanity. Neo is faced with a choice: take the blue pill and continue to live in the comfort of virtual reality, unaware of the truth, or take the red pill and fight against the harsh, hardships of reality. In the end, he chooses the red pill and returns to reality, a choice that has made Neo a “hero” in the minds of many who have seen The Matrix. But after watching the movie, I found myself wondering: what is the appeal of “reality”? What was it about “reality” that made Neo choose the red pill against all odds? And was his choice logically justified?
To answer this question, we can make the following assumptions. Let’s say there is a world, A, where people live real, physical lives, and there is a world, B, where everyone is lying down and having the same experiences as people in A, but with some manipulations, i.e., virtual lives. When you are faced with the choice of taking a red pill to live in world A or a blue pill to live in world B, is the red pill still a more rational choice than the blue pill? If so, is something in World A, which reflects reality, superior to World B, which reflects virtual reality? Many people would probably answer yes. But I am sure that when we get a clear answer to this question, we will realize that Neo’s choice of the red pill was chasing an illusion.
Choices are always made by comparing the ‘chosen situation’ to the ‘unchosen situation’. This eventually leads to a comparison of the value of each situation, and when this comparison is correct and valid, it becomes a rational choice. The same is true for choosing between real and virtual reality. If you choose the real world over the virtual world without demonstrating that the real world is more valuable than the virtual world, it’s not a rational choice. To show that the real world is more valuable than the fake world, we first need to identify the difference between the two. This is because comparisons of value naturally arise from differences, not commonalities. So let’s think about what the essential difference between the real and the fake is, and it can probably be thought of in two main ways. ‘The fake cannot logically precede the real’ and ‘there can only be one real’.
What does “the fake cannot logically precede the real” mean? It means that the fake is subordinate to the real. If the real world doesn’t exist, then the virtual world can’t exist. But if you think about it the other way around, the real is dependent on the fake. The real cannot logically precede the fake. In the example we’ve been discussing, the real world is distinguishable to people by the virtual world, so the first distinction, “the real cannot logically precede the fake,” does not give the real any superiority.
So what does the distinction between real and fake, “there can only be one real”, bring to the debate? This leads to the question of whether “uniqueness” really has any particular superior value. We can answer this question with the example of Nike shoes. Genuine Nike shoes are particularly beautiful, ergonomically designed, and comfortable, making them a highly desirable pair of sneakers. Imagine that someone is trying to make the most comfortable shoe they can, and it happens to be similar to this Nike shoe. However, no matter how good this person is, it’s hard to imagine a shoe that’s more comfortable and aesthetically pleasing than a shoe designed by a team of researchers. This Nike shoe could have come out of a factory at any time, and there is no other shoe in the world that looks like it. However, most people would value a new pair of Nikes over this shoe. As this example illustrates, “uniqueness” is not a good argument for the real thing being better than the fake. The superiority of value is determined solely by its own function. As shown above, the intrinsic difference between the real and the fake does not make any difference in value.
Moreover, the distinction between the real and the fake is not limited to physical characteristics or appearance. Human experience, emotions, and psychological satisfaction are also important factors that distinguish the real from the fake. For example, there is an emotional difference between actually appreciating a famous artist’s work and seeing a replica of it. Even if the two experiences are visually identical, the emotional impact and artistic value of the original work can never be matched by a replica. This is a symbolic example of the intrinsic value of the real thing. In the end, Neo’s choice of the red pill may have been motivated not just by the value of physical reality, but also by the human instinct to seek psychological satisfaction and authenticity in existence.
So why do people choose the red pill like Neo? It’s because society has built up a negative perception of what is not real. This negative perception is due to the functional difference between real and fake. In the real world, a fake cannot clearly perform the same function as the real thing, because if there is a fake Louis Vuitton bag that looks exactly like a Louis Vuitton bag and even has the same warranty, it is considered to be another real Louis Vuitton bag. If there is a fake Louis Vuitton bag that is experienced in real life, it will have a different pattern, be less durable, or have some other flaw, and these experiences have accumulated to create a false equation of fake=not good. I wonder if people, like the boy who chased rainbows to his death, are on a pointless quest for the illusion of reality.
In the end, Neo’s choice may be about more than just the difference between the physical and the virtual, it may be about exploring the nature of human existence. His choice forces us to think deeply about the meaning and value of the real, and it raises important questions about our own choices. Neo’s red pill is not just the result of a choice, but a symbol of man’s constant struggle to find his true self.
