Since ancient times, philosophers have grappled with this question, “What separates man from the animals?” Though answers have been forthcoming in the millennia since, perhaps the most accurate one of them all came from an unlikely source; Hollywood. In the movie, “The Matrix Reloaded”, villain and computer virus simulation Agent Smith sums it up in these elegant words. “Without purpose … we would not exist. It is purpose that created us. Purpose that connects us. Purpose that pulls us. That guides us. That drives us! It is purpose that defines us. Purpose that binds us.”
That which defines us is our purpose. The logical step now would be; what is our purpose? Are we just machines of the Darwinian ideology, whose purpose is to ensure the continual of our species, reproduction and satisfying our baser instincts? If this was true however, we would not be any different from the myriad species of ‘lesser’ animals then. No, our purpose cannot be derived from the science of biology. We must look towards the human psyche, or as the religious would say, the human soul, for this is what differentiates us from the pack; this is what made us the dominant species, the only species capable of bringing upon extinction onto itself.
In actual fact, the quintessential purpose of a human is to seek bonds, to feel wanted, needed and important. It is that which drives us towards our many actions, and which the lack thereof is many times the sole reason for suicide victims. Humans are social animals, that much has been bandied around for ages and proven correct. Thus, when a human is isolated from the world, he sinks into a state best described as ‘in the pits’, in which the individual is unable to metaphorically climb out of, and he sinks yet further, resulting in a never-ending cycle that erodes the mental state, culminating in suicide, the ultimate release. Since we are as of now the only species capable of contemplation and the will to actually end our own life, our purpose then, is to avoid this at all costs, for self preservation is deeply ingrained in us, and is the one instinct that is hard to override. And that purpose is just as said, to form bonds, and to feel wanted. However, there are many different forms of expression of that. For the gamer who sits in his house, doing nothing but play computer games. He appears alone, unloved, disconnected from the world. That is not so, for he has ingrained within his mind, a ‘perceived reality’, in which the characters, or avatars, in the games are his ‘people’, his connection, his bonds, and his world. He derives his purpose from these creatures made up of nothing but pixels, yet he has fulfilled his purpose. The point here then, is that no matter how isolated one seems, the very survival of that person shows that the individual’s purpose has been met, however strange the method might be. Facebook is another example. Its casual setting and multiple options to comment, poke, and otherwise engage the people provides one with an easy way of staying connected. Multiple comments indicate an active social setting, and things like birthday wishes can give one satisfaction of their own importance within his or her social network. And this is of course why Facebook has succeeded beyond anyone’s wildest dreams.
Suicides are inevitable, even in this well connected world. In fact, it is on the rise. This worrying trend has been attributed to the rise of the internet, where increasingly non personalised interactions have taken over the normal socialisation of our ancestors, taking away our purpose. We shall not discuss this here, but rather, if there can be a solution to these all. Surprisingly, Hollywood has yet again supplied us with an unlikely answer, and with the same movie. What if, instead of acting like a gigantic internet of virtual worlds, the Matrix reproduced a separate reality for each of its plugged in mind, where every wants and needs of the human psyche can be satisfied. For example, jilted lovers can plug themselves in, and the Matrix will create an exact copy of the other party and due to the advanced AI as shown, will be sentient and interact as if in real life. An even simpler example would be someone with monetary wishes. Plug in, generate the appropriate scenario, and one satisfied human coming right up! This could, in fact, be utopia, and once the technology is available, expect everyone to rush for it, for who would want to suffer in the real world, when the Matrix could provide any wish that you needed fulfilled? In fact, even if the cost of this was to end up as a battery for the machines, it would be one all would willingly pay, for rather than a ‘jail for the mind’ as described by the wise sage characterisation (Morpheus), the Matrix would be ‘the utopia that would never exist’.
In this case, our purpose will be completely fulfilled, albeit in a virtual environment. Yet, this would most certainly doom the human race, for who would again dabble in the real world, when the virtual one is much more satisfying, much more fulfilling, and much more utopian? And so, even then, this argument about purpose would still drag on and on, for even with what limited knowledge we have, one thing is conclusive; the human mind is never satisfied. We seek more and more, like an addict on drugs, and we obey the Law of Diminishing Returns, which is based on the unique human psychology where more does not necessarily means better. Truly, aster realising our purpose of bonds and social networking, it is highly unlikely that we will be satisfied, bringing us yet again to the never-ending question, ‘What is thy purpose?’
In actual fact, the quintessential purpose of a human is to seek bonds, to feel wanted, needed and important. It is that which drives us towards our many actions, and which the lack thereof is many times the sole reason for suicide victims. Humans are social animals, that much has been bandied around for ages and proven correct. Thus, when a human is isolated from the world, he sinks into a state best described as ‘in the pits’, in which the individual is unable to metaphorically climb out of, and he sinks yet further, resulting in a never-ending cycle that erodes the mental state, culminating in suicide, the ultimate release. Since we are as of now the only species capable of contemplation and the will to actually end our own life, our purpose then, is to avoid this at all costs, for self preservation is deeply ingrained in us, and is the one instinct that is hard to override. And that purpose is just as said, to form bonds, and to feel wanted. However, there are many different forms of expression of that. For the gamer who sits in his house, doing nothing but play computer games. He appears alone, unloved, disconnected from the world. That is not so, for he has ingrained within his mind, a ‘perceived reality’, in which the characters, or avatars, in the games are his ‘people’, his connection, his bonds, and his world. He derives his purpose from these creatures made up of nothing but pixels, yet he has fulfilled his purpose. The point here then, is that no matter how isolated one seems, the very survival of that person shows that the individual’s purpose has been met, however strange the method might be. Facebook is another example. Its casual setting and multiple options to comment, poke, and otherwise engage the people provides one with an easy way of staying connected. Multiple comments indicate an active social setting, and things like birthday wishes can give one satisfaction of their own importance within his or her social network. And this is of course why Facebook has succeeded beyond anyone’s wildest dreams.
Suicides are inevitable, even in this well connected world. In fact, it is on the rise. This worrying trend has been attributed to the rise of the internet, where increasingly non personalised interactions have taken over the normal socialisation of our ancestors, taking away our purpose. We shall not discuss this here, but rather, if there can be a solution to these all. Surprisingly, Hollywood has yet again supplied us with an unlikely answer, and with the same movie. What if, instead of acting like a gigantic internet of virtual worlds, the Matrix reproduced a separate reality for each of its plugged in mind, where every wants and needs of the human psyche can be satisfied. For example, jilted lovers can plug themselves in, and the Matrix will create an exact copy of the other party and due to the advanced AI as shown, will be sentient and interact as if in real life. An even simpler example would be someone with monetary wishes. Plug in, generate the appropriate scenario, and one satisfied human coming right up! This could, in fact, be utopia, and once the technology is available, expect everyone to rush for it, for who would want to suffer in the real world, when the Matrix could provide any wish that you needed fulfilled? In fact, even if the cost of this was to end up as a battery for the machines, it would be one all would willingly pay, for rather than a ‘jail for the mind’ as described by the wise sage characterisation (Morpheus), the Matrix would be ‘the utopia that would never exist’.
In this case, our purpose will be completely fulfilled, albeit in a virtual environment. Yet, this would most certainly doom the human race, for who would again dabble in the real world, when the virtual one is much more satisfying, much more fulfilling, and much more utopian? And so, even then, this argument about purpose would still drag on and on, for even with what limited knowledge we have, one thing is conclusive; the human mind is never satisfied. We seek more and more, like an addict on drugs, and we obey the Law of Diminishing Returns, which is based on the unique human psychology where more does not necessarily means better. Truly, aster realising our purpose of bonds and social networking, it is highly unlikely that we will be satisfied, bringing us yet again to the never-ending question, ‘What is thy purpose?’
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