Blog 16- Matrixxxxxx Possibilty=) draft1

I believe that we live in the matrix, and in this essay I will explain why I disagree with David Nixon’ claim, that we do not live in the matrix. In the book The Matrix and Philosophy, Nixon goes on to say that in order for things to be knowledge it must be justified. I believe that is untrue because in order for something to become knowledge it has to derive from a belief. There are false beliefs as well as true beliefs. For example Nixon says “you might believe that the moon is a hollowed –out enclave where moon goblins live…” it is possible that there are goblins living in the moon, but there are thousands of people that could believe that’s not true, as well as thousands of people who do. But like I said before if there are false beliefs and true beliefs how can knowledge be made, if none of these people have actually been to the moon to structure these beliefs. I think that I something is derived from an opinion or a belief then it cannot be true. Everything we know as people are based on man-made ideologies. The only reason we know that the color blue is blue is because at some point of another someone told us that. For all we know blue can possibly not be a color at all. Nixon also made a claim that the truth cannot exist without falsehood and if that is so that furthers my opinion that of us living in the matrix. Truth is only based on the ideologies of the society in which one lives. Things that are okay in this country may not be so in another, so what does that say about truth? In America it is true that woman can show their legs, arms and other parts of their bodies during the summer, in Muslim cultures it is true that woman can not show any part of their bodies no matter what weather it is. In other countries it is true that men can have multiple wives at one time and in America it is true that a man can only have one wife at a time. And I can go on and on with those types of examples. I don’t think we live in the type of “matrix” that our bodies are submerged in a tank of pink goo, but I think we are in a matrix that has submerged our minds. Yes you can question everything in life, because if you didn’t there would nothing to live by, which brings me to Nixon’ possible/probable claim. Anything in life is possible which means it can or cannot happen. Probability on the other hand is the likelihood of these things happening. I do believe that probability plays a large role in things that are known as true beliefs; but back you my first argument you cannot base knowledge off of a belief. The main thing I can compare this matrix to is the string theory in physics. It’s like another life that can be going on at the same time that something else is going on, but you don’t really have the capability of knowing. String theory is parallel to saying that justified beliefs are truths.
At one point I thought there was a difference between reality and truth, but I’ve realized that they are the same thing. Nothing can be proven based on what someone has told you, and ultimately MADE you believe. Our minds are not seeing life plainly for what is it, because our thoughts were altered. We see trees as trees; grass as grass and the sky and the sky simply because we were once told that’s what those things are. By learning it alters your own state of thought and value of things. The matrix has been around longer than we thing and we are so “deep into the rabbit hole” that there is no turning back!