The origins of the red and blue pill dilemma in The Matrix are far older than you might think. The Wachowskis' Matrix trilogy is renowned for its novel blend of philosophical debate and acrobatic gunfights, and these elements complement each other surprisingly well. While some fans would find Neo's Christ-like parallels a bit ham-fisted by the end of the third movie, The Matrix invited discussion on many thoughtful topics - the nature of reality, the concept of sentience and whether there is, or indeed is not, a spoon.

Central to the philosophical edge of The Matrix is the red and blue pill scene. Morpheus, a human awakened to mankind's reality, offers the same enlightenment to Neo, who is still plugged into an illusion. Alas, the choice must be Neo's alone and to this end, Morpheus presents him with a metaphorical choice between two brightly colored pills. Take the red variety, and Neo will be unplugged, finally capable of seeing the world for what it really is. Swallow the blue pill, however, and Neo will not only go back to his digital, make-believe existence, but he'll also forget ever having questioned what is real and what could be a lie.

It's a fascinating scene; well written and performed and just the right side of the thin line between intelligent and pretentious. Of course, the Wachowskis weren't the first to present this concept in a fictional context. The true origins of the red and blue pill debate can be traced back 2500 years to Plato, the ancient Greek thinker hailed as one of the godfathers of philosophy. Among his many teachings is the Allegory of the Cave. Plato writes of a fictional cave that houses a row of chained prisoners. These prisoners are forced to look only at a single blank wall from early childhood, unable to move even to see their fellow captors. Behind the prisoners sits a fire, and objects would be passed across the light of the flame, casting shadows on the blank wall in front of the chained inmates. Plato posits that since these shadows would be all the prisoners ever know, they would become reality for those who see nothing else.


If one of the prisoners might escape, he would learn of the fire and fear it, desiring to be returned to his old existence. If he resisted that urge, or was forced to leave the cave, he would eventually learn the true nature of his reality. For Plato, only a philosopher can achieve this miraculous escape. Having accustomed to his new perception of reality, the prisoner would return to free the others, and they would resist, believing their escaped friend had been harmed, when in fact he was just struggling to see in the darkness after finally beholding the light of the sun.

To compare Plato's Allegory of the Cave to The Matrix, the row of chained prisoners are the humans, the ones casting shadows by firelight are the Machines and the shadows on the wall are the Matrix itself. Having only ever experienced the digital Matrix, humans perceive the world as reality, but the philosophically-minded individual can break free by taking the red pill and find the truth. Just as many of the prisoners would be scared of the fire and wish to return to the wall, many of those freed in The Matrix opt for the blue pill - stick to what you can already understand, just like the first film's Cypher character. By escaping the cave or taking the red pill, everything becomes clear, and even if others perceive that liberation as suffering, the philosopher knows they are better off outside of the cave.

Plato's cave could become even more relevant in The Matrix 4. Fans have theorized that The Matrix 4 will include human villains and "Bluepills" who want humanity to go back to the Matrix. This ties into Plato's belief that the cave prisoners would rather kill than be dragged outside, despite the protestations of the "Redpill" escapee. Had Plato known that his allegory would be covered over 2 thousand years later by actors on a screen wearing sunglasses and long leather coats, even his mind would've blown, but it's this inspiration that allowed The Matrix to stand out for its striking originality.

The Matrix 4 (2022)
Release Date: Apr 01, 2022