[ExI] Favorite ~H+ Movies

[Elaa Mohamad]

Russell Wallace wrote:
> In The Matrix, the machines are evil and the way to solve problems is with a
> form of watered-down mysticism. I'm not saying it's a bad movie - it's good
> for what it is, a martial arts flick with cool special effects - but I
> wouldn't recommend it for the philosophy.
...
Actually, the "machines" in The Matrix are not evil, they just are.
And the way they solve problems is very rational (of course, only in
the reality portrayed in the film, where they mix fusion and energy
from the human brain for power :-))) - not mystic at all. The story is
explained through several facts:
1. The machines need human brains to produce energy
2. Humans are hard to control in RL, so they enslave them and provide
them with a dreamworld
3. The machines used a trial and error system to produce a perfect
dreamworld - the only one that actually works
4. The whole dreamworld story works only if they allow for an anomaly
once in a while - thus, Neo
That is very logical thinking, n'est-ce pas? The machines are
therefore not portrayed as **evil**, they just do what is necessary to
ensure the prolongation of their "species". Actually, very human-like.

> There's another criterion that I haven't quite articulated yet; I'm not sure
> exactly what to call it. Anti-fatalism? The attitude of "Screw that, there
> is no fate. If the forecast is that we're doomed, then we'll just have to
> find a way to invalidate it.

This is the main idea flowing through the Matrix trilogy. Everybody is
telling Neo that it is his fate, that it's all been written, that all
the choices have been already made. And he says "screw that, I'm going
to revive my lover". The forecast from the Architect - the head honcho
- was that humanity was doomed from the beginning, and look at what
happened in the end.


The Avantguardian wrote:
> Hi Mohamed,
>
> I was wondering if you have ever seen "Renaissance:
> Paris 2054". It explores the writer's envisioned
> conflict between transhumanism and Islam in the
> backdrop of Paris in the year 2054 while being an
> entertaining film. I thought it might be relevant
> considering some of the discussion Islam and H+
> recently.
>
> Stuart LaForge
> alt email: stuart"AT"ucla.edu

Hi Stuart,

I've actually seen half of the movie two weeks or so ago - didn't like
it too much (the style and animation were kind of off-putting) but I
must admit I was multitasking and wasn't really concentrated on the
story... Perhaps I should see it again. Anyway, when it comes to
Islamic beliefs, maybe I am not really the best qualified to go into
details, because even if I do see myself as a muslim, there is a
billion things in the application of Islam that I do not understand or
don't agree with. And of course, they are interpreted differently
depending who you ask. I personally believe in science, logic,
responsibility for your actions, and that we should make the best of
this life (not to do good because of afterlife benefits - I'd like to
be able to choose how to use my benefits here, if there are any :-) )
Thanks for the movie suggestion.

Eli