Being a logical and reasonable man is a matter of considerable importance to me; there are other things I regard as being of greater value, but they are very few in number. The high esteem in which I hold logic and reason (both of which I define as means of discovering truth) rests in how I perceive a reality without them.
A world devoid of the pursuit of Truth has the potential to be disorderly and highly adverse to the innocent. Courts of law, which I consider to be a major actor in the sustenance of order in modern culture, are constructed on finding the Truth: whole, and nothing but. Psychology describes a certain societal disorder called the Social Trap, in which "a group of people act to obtain short-term individual gains, which in the long run leads to a loss for the group as a whole." ("Social Trap"). If there existed a plausible reason not to commit an action that a majority of a given population performs and no one sought to verify the truth of this claim, the people of that type of civilization are apt to continue to maintain their status quo to the point of detriment to their own society or to another's. For society's (but not necessarily for my own) and posterity's benefit, then, I deem it a personal obligation to base my actions on judgment that is as sound as possible.
What would make "going down the rabbit hole" particularly tempting for me in this case is that one of my axioms -- one of the most foundational tenets of my worldview: how I perceive reality -- is being challenged on the grounds that testable proof can be offered to demonstrate my paradigm's falsity. It has been said that “a false statement implies anything” (Bond and Keane 30). If such is the case, I would be drawn by the prospect of purging myself of the reasoning behind the fallacious choices (and surely some must exist, for a substantial amount of the decisions I would make would have been built upon these axioms) of the past.
One thing that would come close to dissuading me from following Morpheus is, ironically, the same sort of skepticism that might allow me to put what I once felt was tried-and-true behind me: How do I know I am not being conned? What if the red pill contains some sort of hallucinogen, thus giving me reason not to trust my senses for what Morpheus claims is the true reality? Ultimately, though I might still require more persuasion than Neo was given, I think my sense of curiosity would compel me to trust Morpheus enough to try out his theory and “go down the rabbit hole.”
Works Cited:
Bond, Robert J. and William J. Keane. An Introduction to Abstract Mathematics.
Long Grove: Waveland, 2007.
“Social Trap.” Wikipedia. 7 Feb. 2010. 25 Feb. 2010.
While I admire, and try to accomplish, living in a "logical and reasonable" manner, I find that at some point that gets boring. At some point I had to take the leap into the completely unknown waters of life and try to swim. While I can't promote this as the best course of action for everyone (i.e. it has gotten me in a lots of trouble at times) it has given many opportunities for pleasure, growth, and self-knowledge that would've otherwise been hidden from me. This sense of adventure would lead me to take the pill that Morpheus offers, partly because of the challenge, "can you handle the truth?" and partly because life is too short to be bored.
ReplyDelete