Welcome to the Real World

We are now requiring that new registrants confirm their request for an account by email.  Once you complete the "Sign Up" process to set up your user name and password, please send an email to the New Accounts Administator to obtain new account approval.

Regularly Checking In On A Small Screen Device? Bookmark THIS page!

Epicurean Friends Image Gallery

Welcome to the EpicureanFriends Image Gallery, where our Level 3 and above participants post and share images for public use in the teaching and promotion of Epicurean philosophy. Please limit contributions to those which directly relate and support the philosophy of Epicurus. Choose the topic to display by selecting from the "Categories" listed ( at left on a wide-screen device or in the footer below on a mobile device). To view the Latest Images, click here.

View Full Size
Welcome to the Real World

From The Matrix (1999).

So, so frequently, the Matrix (in The Matrix) is assumed represent either the cave of Platonism, or maya ("illusions") in Hindu Vedanta, in each case, the "real world" is equated with a sort of supreme otherworld. In fact, within the series, the protagonists awaken into a physical world, full of sweaty people and dirty machines, all bound by the laws of physics.

I think The Matrix is better as an Epicurean tale (supposing that the simulation is superstitious programming).

Comments 1

October 23, 2024 at 11:20 PM

I fully agree with your take on it! :thumbup:

The Wachowskis (who created the movie series), welcome people's own interpretations of it, in the sense that art is communication, and communication ends with the recipients interpretation, the recipients meaning-making of what their senses witnessed. I haven't watched it since its initial release, but from what I recall, as is common for the sci-fi genre, it eclectically drew from all sorts of cultural sources, merging them into something new. However, what the Wachowskis have since said is that they wanted the protagonist and viewer to experience a deconstruction, evaluation, and (modified) reconstruction of their model of what is real, such that – and I quote – "it asks you to actually participate in the construction of meaning" – and I would say Epicurean philosophy could be characterised using the same words.

Anecdote: When I was forced to attend a state school, the authorities' Christianist priests, who up until then were busy lecturing about the dangers of Satanism and – oddly enough – popular superstitions, had a lot to say about how Biblical this movie series is. There was even a book to that effect, and as we all know :S they don't just let anyone write a book, so it must be true! ^^

Unread Threads

    1. Title
    2. Replies
    3. Last Reply

    2. A Question About Hobbes From Facebook

      • Cassius
      • August 24, 2025 at 9:11 AM
    3. Replies
      0
      Views
      545

    2. Anti-Natalism: The Opposite of Epicureanism 8

      • Don
      • August 23, 2025 at 11:26 AM
    3. Replies
      8
      Views
      1.1k
      8

    4. Kalosyni

      August 23, 2025 at 11:26 AM

    2. Ecclesiastes what insights can we gleam from it? 4

      • Eoghan Gardiner
      • August 18, 2025 at 7:54 AM
    3. Replies
      4
      Views
      2.4k
      4

    4. Kalosyni

      August 18, 2025 at 7:54 AM

    2. Grumphism? LOL

      • Don
      • August 16, 2025 at 3:17 PM
    3. Replies
      0
      Views
      559

    2. Beyond Stoicism (2025) 20

      • Don
      • August 15, 2025 at 4:28 PM
    3. Replies
      20
      Views
      2k
      20

    4. Don

      August 15, 2025 at 4:28 PM

Finding Things At EpicureanFriends.com

What's the best strategy for finding things on EpicureanFriends.com? Here's a suggested search strategy:

  • First, familiarize yourself with the list of forums. The best way to find threads related to a particular topic is to look in the relevant forum. Over the years most people have tried to start threads according to forum topic, and we regularly move threads from our "general discussion" area over to forums with more descriptive titles.
  • Use the "Search" facility at the top right of every page. Note that the search box asks you what section of the forum you'd like to search. If you don't know, select "Everywhere." Also check the "Search Assistance" page.
  • Use the "Tag" facility, starting with the "Key Tags By Topic" in the right hand navigation pane, or using the "Search By Tag" page, or the "Tag Overview" page which contains a list of all tags alphabetically. We curate the available tags to keep them to a manageable number that is descriptive of frequently-searched topics.