Book 10 - William Irwin "The Matrix And Philosophy"

William Irwin "The Matrix and Philosophy, Welcome To The Desert Of The Real" (Open Court)




Another book in the Popular Culture and Philosophy series looking at a defining film from 1999.

Paraphrasing Morpheus, the choice is yours, and you'll have to live with the consequences for at least the rest of your life. Will you take the blue pill – put this book back on the shelf and go on thinking of The Matrix as just a movie? Or will you take the red pill – read this book, and find out just how far down the rabbit-hole goes?

Is the world around us truly as it appears or are we inert bodies in tanks, our brains electronically stimulated to create a make-believe world which is all we know? This old philosophical puzzle has become cutting-edge cool with the appearance of this Keanu Reeves cult sci-fi movie.

The Matrix may well be the most thought-provoking philosophical film made,as every step of its fast-paced plot pivots on a philosophical conundrum. If the world as we know it is nothing more than our dreams, does this make the dream world or its version of virtual reality real? If we had the choice to step out of our world into a more real but less pleasant one – to take the red pill – would it be a moral failure not to do so? Why do humans have a value above that of intelligent electronic mechanisms? Can the mind live without the body or the body without the mind?

In The Matrix And Philosophy, professional philosophers analyze The Matrix from many angles: metaphysical, epistemological, ethical and aesthetic. They uncover hidden depths in this intricate work of art, and often reach disturbing conclusions. Those who take the red pill never look at “the real world” the same way again.

Rouge Revelations

Well, another fine sunny morning, and thus, I took a walk down to the town centre and the seafront and then detoured around the duck pond on the way back.

This afternoon after going to the municipal tip we went over to Brighton Marina for a slap up meal at Cafe Rouge (courtesy of Tesco vouchers). GC had the beef bourguignon   and i had the duck confit. Then we had a couple of desserts , mine was the chocolate ganache. Absolutely divine food.

From the tip i found some great books going for free in really good condition. One on Mock The Week and an episode guide book in hardback on Doctor Who,

Book 11 - Richard Feynman "QED"

Richard Feynman "QED" (Penguin)




A master of his craft with a quirky and infectious enthusiasm for his material, puts his forbidding intellect to work to try to explain one of the greatest theories, that of quantum electrodynamics,  in modern physics to the layperson.

A tremendous achievement which combines an honest wish not to miss any of the best bits out just because they are complicated with a humility about just how much is still unknown.

Jaw dropping comments about light reflecting from mirrors? Yes indeed.

This book is based on four lectures covering light and electrons.

A thin book best savoured a bit at a time to allow your brain chance to recover in between sessions.