Страница 3 из 10
A representative of the species “Homo Sapiens” perceives only a part of the Objective reality. However, to the questions: how is the Objective reality organized? how do the portion perceived by a subject at every point in time, and the Objective reality as a whole, interact? — each spectator is given the opportunity to answer by himself, so as to not fall into schizophrenia or not to lock up inside the world of one’s own mind. At the same time, the capability of the viewer to not notice these questions, and other questions arising from them is, in a way, already an answer to each one of these questions.
But without answering them, it is impossible to answer the two mutually-exclusive questions which are transparently implied in the film:
● either how human-like viruses-consumers can continue to parasitize without the support of some “matrix”, which has collapsed?
● or how to stop parasitising and start living humanely?
Now we return to the fact, that the machine system, fabricating dreams of life of humanity, who supports the machine system energetically (to be a “battery” for the system — is the main purpose of humanity in the film), has been named “The Matrix”. In our times, this word is commonly known as a mathematical term, defined as a two-dimensional table, in the cells of which (at the intersection of every row and column) exist some mathematical objects, including new matrices. The latter defines a matrix in a general sense as a mathematical object, conceptually tied to the multidimensional space of formal parameters. Also, matrices are a means to to give structural organization to sets[3] (of some objects) and establish interrelations between different sets (this has become especially applied in database programming). And in this quality, matrices have the properties of metrological standards, with which elements of structurally ordered sets are correlated.
But all of the above is an understanding of the word “matrix” in a narrow professional sense. The general meaning of the word is much wider. The Merriam-Webster dictionary gives the primary definition of “matrix” as “something within or from which something else originates, develops, or takes form”. And all the meanings of this word, accepted in various domains, are in one or another way tied to this notion — that a matrix (in printing trades, in machining of materials, etc.) is an essence, giving the initial image to something which is created from it, and also giving orderedness to the matter which is modified based on the matrix. That is, the word “matrix” incorporates into itself all meanings about the creation of some image, in accordance with the Predetermination, on the matter of some information carrier.
3. Mathematics and God’s Providence
Accordingly with the definition of the word “matrix” given above, the machine system fabricating dreams about the life of humanity is named correctly. But this leads to the question: is the machine system the Matrix, or it belongs to another matrix which predetermines its existence and operation?
To avoid limiting the generality of reasoning, it is better to assume that the machine system, localized on planet Earth, may only exist and operate only, if it has a place or “cell” in a superior, enclosing matrix, within a certain arrangement of mutually-nested matrices. The superior matrix, in turn, occupies a cell in a more superior, higher level matrix. This way, in the process of considering the successively widening subordination of mutually-nested matrices, which predetermine the existence of nested matrices and processes created by them (including the existence of universes), we come to two questions, an affirmative answer to one of which is a negative answer to the other:
● does there exist a limit of this successive widening of matrices? that is, does there exist a certain all-enclosing matrix, predetermining the existence of all matrices nested in it and the possibilities of filling them with some matter and information?
● or this limit does not exist, and the order of matrices, enclosing nested limited matrices, may continue to be built, creating more and more new possibilities of existence of various worlds?
Humanity has come to these questions multiple times, and over the course of history various worldview systems (schools) answered these questions in mutually-exclusive ways. But in all the diversity of developed and detailed worldview systems, they all may be correlated with one of two classes of answers:
● There exists a limit of the escalation of these matrices, and the process of escalation of this order of mutual enclosure of matrices, leads to equating the limit of the sequence[4] with a certain all-enclosing matrix, named from the ancient times as... God’s Predetermination of the Life of the Universe.
● There objectively exists only a certain basic element of life, a sort-of building block of the universe, “a fundamental element”, with “addition”, “multiplication”, “subtraction”, and other operations applied to it. Application of these operations on the element leads to an order of mutual inter-links of individual matrices of life, which can be limitlessly escalated, not converging to any certain all-enclosing matrix.
Both views accept infinitely widening orders of enclosure of individual matrices of life, but express qualitatively different understanding of this infinity: in the first case, it is an initially predetermined from Above “infinity”, and in the second case it is “infinity” built by trial and error of escalation and transformation of individual matrices, representing “finished elements” in this infinite “construction”. At first sight, both mutually-exclusive views are equally grounded, and to judge about the truthfulness or falseness of either one of them does not seem possible.
But giving it some thought, the first view is correct: there exists some all-enclosing predetermination, as a result of which the process of escalation of the order of mutually enclosing individual matrices of life, and their filling with matter and information, fails, if there is an attempt to create something, that has no place in the all-enclosing matrix — God’s Predetermination.
In the worst case, the laws of physics and chemistry, which manifest the highest of currently constructed predeterminations, could be changed with the spawning of any new matrix-superstructure, enclosing the matrices preceding it in the order of their mutual enclosure, and completing (temporarily) this order, which corresponds to the “second law of dialectics”, according to which quantitative changes lead to qualitative changes[5].
Besides that, accepting the second view creates the necessity for having, besides some fundamental “matrix” (“building block”), the means allowing to escalate this the order of mutual enclosure. This is one and the same God’s Predetermination of Life, but smuggled into reasoning either due to thoughtlessness, or to avoid calling things their proper names.
But the two mutually-exclusive assumptions express different worldviews, which are also mutually-exclusive. The first is God-centric, coming from the fact that the Universe as a whole, and the planet Earth in particular, are God’s creation, a result of the Predetermination of the Creator and Almighty, and the life of a person with such a worldview lies within the course of God’s Providence.
For a human, living within the course of Providence, it is natural to realize that the Universe is united and whole, and everything in it (including relationships between people) is causally-determined and multi-optional (generally) within the aims of Providence. And any person builds their life in the course of God’s Predetermination either in harmony with Providence, or opposing It with their actions. In the first case, God for the human is the super-Universal reality, the Hierarchically Highest All-enclosing control, with Which the human constantly strives to maintain certain ethics of personal relations based on his actual morality. In the second case, goes the process of constant (more often than not — unconscious) resistance by the individual to God’s Providence, in which manifests a certain morally-based worldview of the individual.
3
“Set theory” is a branch of mathematics where a “set” (a collection of objects) is a fundamental notion.
4
Like integrals with infinite integration boundaries may converge to finite quantities.
5
The formulation of the second law of dialectics about the passage of quantitative changes into qualitative changes is superficial and ambiguous. In reality:
There exists an interdependence of quality with order and quantity, and accordingly — quantitative and order changes lead to qualitative changes, and qualitative changes manifest in changes of order and quantity.
It is useful to note, that in comments to the traditional formulation of the second law of dialectics, the notion of “measure” is often mentioned, but nothing is said about the order, even though the same quantity may be ordered differently, leading to a different qualitative state, as the case is with isomers in chemistry.