Jennifer Nichols
A Philosophical Look at Cyphers Choice
When deciding between a life of ignorant bliss or one with meaning and difficulty what
must be faced are ones underlying morals, what matters to you, and what it means to live a good
life. Cypher from the film “The Matrix” makes the decision to plug back into the false reality of
the Matrix and turn his back on saving the human race. Philosophers Plato, Socrates, Epicurus,
and Epictetus would have strong opinions about Cypher’s choice to live in ignorant bliss as
morally right or wrong.
“The Matrix” underlies the same moral dilemma that Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave”
presented. Plato’s allegory poses an important question: what matters in life? In Plato’s allegory,
the reader follows the journey of a prisoner who has dwelt in a cave his whole life believing in a
world of shadows which is ultimately a false reality. When that man is freed and ascends into
the real world he finds truth and reality. Through Plato’s allegory, Plato clearly states what he
believes most valuable in life is knowledge or true reality. Plato expresses a very stern belief
that seeking knowledge is and always will be better than ignorant bliss. This is clearly shown
when Plato quotes Homer in saying, “Better to be the poor servant of a poor master.”(2.) Plato
explains that he would rather exist in the worst conditions possible as long as he had knowledge
and truth than to be ignorant or stuck in the cave of false reality. Plato makes it clear that the
gaining of knowledge is difficult but best. For example, when the prisoner is taken from the
cave for the first time he does not simply walk out of the cave and embrace this new reality he is
instead “dragged up a steep and rugged ascent, and held fast until he is forced in the presence of
the sun himself, is he not likely to be pained and irritated?”(2.) Plato acknowledges that seeing
true reality is vexing when you’re acclimated to a different reality, which is exactly the position
Cypher was in. Cypher represents the prisoner who lived in the cave or specifically the Matrix.
When Cypher takes the pill representing his ascent out of the false world he finds that reality
hurts. It is challenging for Cypher, just as it is for the prisoner who was pained and irritated.
Cypher missed the pleasures of his false reality and felt that true reality wasn’t worth living in if
it meant perpetual misery. In the film when describing leaving the Matrix Morpheus says, “I
didn’t say it would be easy—I just said it would be truth.”(3.) “The Matrix” brought up the age
old allegory of the trials of living in reality. Through the “Allegory of the Cave” it is evident that
Plato thinks Cypher is morally wrong for choosing to go back into the cave of false reality just
for one’s own pleasure.
Socrates’ philosophy of ethics is very similar to Plato’s. Socrates believes it is
everyone’s duty to seek the greatest amount of knowledge or truth they can. He doesn’t just
believe that is one’s duty to find knowledge only for oneself but for others as well. In “The
Apology” when the accusers mock Socrates and say what he did for a living was wrong Socrates
responds, “I was attached to this city by the god—though it seems a ridiculous thing to say—as
upon a great and noble horse which was somewhat sluggish because of its size and needed to be
stirred up by a kind of gadfly.”(4.) Socrates takes it upon himself to be Athen’s gadfly by
stirring up and provoking new ideas and thought. Even though he may be annoying to Athens,
he is teaching others because he believes that is what matters. Socrates is “unchaining” people by
giving them knowledge. He believes in awareness for everyone even if it is hard to hear or learn.
Socrates wanted everyone to have greater knowledge, exactly like the greater knowledge that
Cypher had. He would have wanted Cypher to use that knowledge to help others which in
Cypher’s place was to help the human race. Even with this knowledge Cypher would rather
reject it and abandon all humanity for his own pleasure. Socrates would have hated such
knowledge to go to waste when Cypher was in the position to do so much good with it.
Strikingly different from Plato and Socrates’ philosophical ideas is that of Epicurus.
Epicurean philosophy is a Hedonistic philosophy. He alleges that the best life and way to live is
in pleasure and away from pain. In Epicurus’ writing “Hedonism” he states, “The right
understanding of these facts enables us to refer all choice and avoidance to the health of the body
and the soul’s freedom from disturbance, since this is the aim of the life of blessedness.”(5.)
Basically Epicurus is saying that our actions should be centered on ourselves in making sure we
are in the least amount of pain and suffering mentally and physically. Epicurus would be
sympathetic to Cypher’s decision to leave his friends behind to enter the Matrix. This is because
outside of the Matrix he was in mortal danger and had no continuous comfort which is a large
part of how Epicurus defines happiness. While Epicurus would be sympathetic, he would not
think that Cypher was right for abandoning his friends and turning his back on helping the
human race. Epicurus believes in pleasure and repose but he believes these qualities only come
from being an all-around good person. In his work, “Hedonism” he says, “It is not possible to
live pleasantly without living prudently and honorably and justly…” (5.) At the core of
“Hedonism” he believes you can only find tranquility and peace by being an honorable and
ethical person. By choosing to re-enter the Matrix, Cypher is giving up his honor and moral good
which would be wrong to Epicurus. Overall, Epicurus would be understanding of Cypher’s pain
but would not approve of the way he sought pleasure.
Epictetus on the other hand has a Stoic philosophy in which he believes all events and
actions are matters of fate. He wouldn’t have thought anything of Cypher betraying his friends
because he would have believed that was fated to happen. His beliefs are rooted in the idea that
there is nothing anyone can do to change anything from happening. To Epictetus “friends” are
external and if you let externals affect your internal then pain and unhappiness are bound to
happen. Therefore, Epictetus wouldn’t have seen Cypher betraying his friends as bad but merely
as a protection of his internal. A summation of his philosophies on fate is, “Remember that you
are an actor in a drama such as the play-write wishes it to be.”(1.) He believes that everything a
character does in life’s play isn’t up to you, so why worry about it. He would have seen no evil in
abandoning and hurting his friends and potentially the entire human race because it was fate that
made Cypher betrays his friends. It was fate that did that evil, not Cypher. But on the matter of
whether Cypher should choose to live in the Matrix or live outside of it Epictetus wouldn’t have
cared. Either way he believed it was out of one’s control and that we should not let our externals
in either choice bother us. Epictetus’ writings in the “Enchiridion” he states, “Now it is not
possible for him to adhere to your conception of the right, but only his own.”(1.) Epictetus is
stating that all that matters in Cypher’s decision is what Cypher considers to be the right choice
which boils down to what Cypher believes matters in life, his morals, and what he believes the
“good life” is.
Personally, I believe Cypher is morally to blame for betraying Morpheus and Neo
because when it comes to hurting others due to your actions, morals are on the line. Even if we
look at this without involving Cypher’s friends, choosing ignorant bliss is cowardly. While I still
believe it should be an option for people to choose to live ignorantly, I also believe they are
being selfish and therefore morally in the wrong. People should always have freewill but it is
most honorable when they use that free will to do the most good and in the greatest amount. If
people aren’t taking a stand to fight against something evil or corrupt than they are fighting, even
if ignorant, for it. Those who decide not to choose sides are choosing one by default and it
usually ends up being the bad one. When one is ignorant they don’t know the bad in the world,
and if you don’t know the bad then you can in no way correct it. You will not be a voice that is
heard for those who need it. Edmund Burke said, “all that is needed for the forces of evil to
triumph is for good men and women to do nothing.” This I think applies directly to ignorance.
When we choose ignorance we choose the continuation of what is bad in the world. Cypher is
deciding to not help the human race because he feels it is too hard for him personally to deal with
it because of the consequences that come with caring for the greater good. When ignorance is
chosen we put ourselves on the enemy’s side. If we select ignorance we will not have
compassion or empathy for others, and when we lose these things we lose our humanity.
I don’t believe happiness is what matters most but what matters most is making a
difference for good. Living a good life to me means living a meaningful one. In order to live a
meaningful life one must be living in the real world where your actions have a real effect. I
would define happiness as how good we feel about the contributions we have made. Through the
film “The Matrix,” it is evident that Plato, Socrates, Epicurus, and Epictetus all have distinct
views on Cypher’s choice as illustrated by their separate philosophies, and yet we see everyone
is making the same decision between ignorant bliss and a life with meaning and difficulty every
day. To see where we stand on our own moral compass it is evident through Cypher’s case that
one needs to know what matters morally, what it means to have a good life, and what is worth
seeking. For me, ignorance may be bliss but it is far from best.
Citations Page
1. Epictetus, ., & Higginson, T. W. (1955). The Enchiridion. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill
Educational Pub.
2. Plato, . (2010). The allegory of the cave. Brea, CA: P & L Publication.
3. Wachowski, A., Wachowski, L., Silver, J., Reeves, K., Fishburne, L., Moss, C.-A.,
Weaving, H., ... Warner Home Video (Firm),. (2001). The Matrix. Burbank, CA: Warner
Bros. Pictures.
4. Plato, ., & Jowett, B. (1990). Apology. Champaign, Ill: Project Gutenberg.
5. Epicurus, .,& Cyril Baily. (1926). Hedonism. Oxford University Press.