Like a Splinter in Your Mind: The Philosophy Behind the Matrix Trilogy

by Matt Lawrence

Like a Splinter in Your Mind leads readers through the myriad of philosophical themes within the Matrix trilogy, helping them to gain a better understanding of the films and of philosophy itself.

Offers a way into philosophy through the Matrix films. Covers thirteen of the biggest philosophical questions in thirteen self-sufficient chapters suitable for course use. Demonstrates how each of these questions is illustrated through the events and characters of the films. Considers whether sentient machines are possible, and whether we should expect them to face the same existentialist issues that we do. Familiarises readers with key issues in metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, philosophy of mind, race and gender, existentialism, Taoism and mysticism. Includes a chapter that explains some of the technical elements of the films and confusing aspects of the plot. Also includes a Matrix glossary, and a cast of characters and their related symbolism.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Film, Psychology, Cyberpunk

236 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 4, 2004

Reviews

[Andre · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is basically "Philosophy 101" with metaphors from The Matrix to help people figure out what's going on.

I must say that the second "half" of the book was infinitely more interesting than the first half. The treatment of why gender equality is much more complicated than racial equality was awesome. I've become much more sympathetic to existentialism (I'm still not completely sold!, but I'm willing to read more about it...) as a result of the treatment of moral (non)objectivism.

But if you had enough time to read one chapter? Well, you must read the comparison of 'faith' that a) Abraham had in God, and b) Morpheus had in Neo. This section, quite frankly, made the book.

(The chapter is available here: http://webenhanced.lbcc.edu/philml/ph...)

In short, I have two other Philosophy/Matrix books to read. I'd say that my general understanding of topics in Philosophy has grown, but it's not something that I was completely new to (except for the terminology). If you have an interest in Philosophy but could use something familiar to tie it to (and you know a fair amount about The Matrix trilogy) then I think this is an excellent place to start.

Move along, Lil Chillens!

[Miranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

mind=blown.

I had to read a few chapters of this for a class I'm taking, but I ended up devouring the whole thing because I enjoyed it so much. A few things that were great:

-There is a LOT packed into this little book. Lawrence touches on theories of reality, consciousness, feminism, artificial intelligence, & mysticism just to name a few. And he accomplishes this is such a way that is faithful to the theories at hand and their complexities and contradictions against one another without positing any as 'better' or 'worse' . . . just things to think about.

-This book is much more about philosophy than it is about the Matrix series. In fact, I've only seen the first two Matrix films and I was able to get through this book without any problems. The various themes in the plot of the movies serve as the anchor Lawrence uses to demonstrate any given concept, but it is clear throughout the book that the films themselves are not what's at stake. Rather, they are a reference point.

Lastly, this book was not written for an academic. It is accessible enough to be suitable for somebody completely new to philosophy, but rich enough for the interested-yet-not-down-to-read-Kant-in-the-original types like myself. It also did not read like your standard Intro to Philosophy course, wherein you are struggling to understand the relevancy of some of the outdated concepts to your own life. Lawerence utilizes what is useful from the 'old' (so to speak), but references plenty of the new. In short, it felt like a very modern, accessible, and relevant approach to philosophy.

[Nikhil P. Freeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Equals parts ontology and etymology; the meticulous confluence of all things metaphysical and philosophical that attempts to explain everything and ultimately nothing based on a gratuitously violent anti-hero sci-fi Hollywood flick. The book sifts through sexism and śūnyatā, ruminates on reality and racism, and mulls over mythology and materialism. Even Einstein and existentialism make an appearance. Overall this is a good book to fill in the gaps in the movie, understand the philosophy behind each character’s actions, and provides mental philosophical exercises for each reader to ponder.

[Ozifer Eris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! Superb! I read this book once a year for three years. I love philosophy and I love The Matrix movies, and this book blended them together very well. With the writing of this book, the author Matt Lawrence has done the world a favor, but he needs to do the world one more favor and put this in audio format, too! Please, please, please.

[C. Drying · Rating 5 out of 5]

WHY DID YOU READ THIS BOOK?
I read this book back in the mid 2000s after the final release of The Matrix trilogy of movies and thought it was great back then, and with the recent release of Resurrections, I decided to read it again.

WHAT DID YOU LIKE ABOUT THIS BOOK?
This book is incredibly good at explaining all the philosophy discussed and alluded to in the first three movies, and now that we live in a time where concepts from postmodernism have been reified (as Helen Pluckrose and James Lindsay have phrased it*), I appreciate the author's explanations so much more.

I especially liked the chapter on free will and determinism. The author points out cases in The Matrix story where choice, free will, and determinism are at play.

Also, the idea of existentialism is explained very well, so much so that I felt inspired to start a separate existential journal to help me ponder this topic. When explained in context of the movie series, existentialism is a very compelling idea. Note the author labels the chapter on existentialism "Facing the Absurd: Existentialism for Humans and Programs."

Another excellent chapter is the one titled "The Tao of The Code" wherein the author connects concepts from the book the Tao Te Ching to scenes, symbols, and allusions within the The Matrix story. Since I'm forever fascinated by both the Tao Te Ching and The Matrix, having them compared and contrasted satisfies my interest to no end.

Oh, and there's a few appendixes that contain all sorts of interesting details such a brief discussion of each character and what they represent or symbolize with regards to philosophical notions, a glossary of terms, and a list of all the philosophers (or otherwise) whose ideas or interpretations of ideas appear in The Matrix story.

WHAT DID YOU DISLIKE ABOUT THIS BOOK?
Nothing worth mentioning.

DO YOU RECOMMEND THIS BOOK?
If you want more of an intellectual thrill when you watch The Matrix movies, then read this book.

*See Pluckrose and Lindsay's book Cynical Theories. Cynical Theories: How Activist Scholarship Made Everything about Race, Gender, and Identity—and Why This Harms Everybody https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

[Rai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating insight!

If you’re like me, a HUGE fan of The Matrix franchise, & want to deepen your understanding of the philosophical underpinnings of it, then I highly recommend this book. The movies really speak to me on a deep level, & this book helped me get even more out of the stories. I look forward to re-watching the movies with these new insights. I also recommend you read through the back matter - there’s even more to learn there. I really can’t wait to get the future philosophy books that will be written when The Matrix Resurrections comes out. I’ll be keeping an eye open for them, for sure.

If you’re interested in reading more about this topic, here are two other books, which I also highly recommend:

The Matrix and Philosophy
Taking the Red Pill: Science, Philosophy and Religion in The Matrix

Take the red pill!

[Jonny Harding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting

Very interesting and helps understand the philosophy of the movies. Kindle edition layout not great poorly converted. Good if you want to understand different philosophies of life

[Alexei López · Rating 5 out of 5]

Critical squared

Western thought finds its foundations in the philosophy of the Greeks, which gave rise to modernity as we know it: without the development and systematisation of critical thinking, nothing would be the way we know it today (the good and the bad).

Although this mode of thinking has shaped our civilization, today we can talk about the "demolition" of the critical spirit, man, modernity, reason, and a really long etcetera. That is to say, all the structures that gave form to the heritage of the Greeks (most of what makes us human) have collapsed and are currently going into a deep crisis -technology being a villain and hero at the same time.

It was back in the 90's that a wonderful movie (the Matrix) was released and generated an avalanche of controversy due to the clarity and sharpness with which it approached the aforementioned crisis: the critical spirit died in man, therefore he would end up trapped in a cage of his own; technology and the machines would devour man; man would destroy the environment. In the background of all of this, the nature of reality was questioned so deeply that all the imagery and symbols from the movie have become those of this era.

"Like a Splinter in your Mind" is a wonderful compilation of questions that have accompanied man since the development of philosophy and that come to the surface every once in a while no matter how extinguished the powers of critical thinking are.
Arresting, provocative, and introductory to most philosophical dilemmas, this book is a marvel that anybody should read.

[david stenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful introduction to philosophy, and existentialism in particular.

[Joey Dutcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun to read.

[Pascal Riendeau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matrix fans could like it. I enjoyed it a lot. It also got (re)près for more on philosophy. Thanks M. Lawrence.

[Andrew Sammut · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's not as though the movies didn't make me question my entire existence, this book just had to put the questions posed by the movies into words, often without giving solid answers. Very hypothetical stuff and of course, philosophical, however Lawrence doesn't truly delve into his own opinion regarding the truth, objectivity, and all that may or may not be illusory. It's crazy how it often feels as though we are not in control of our own lives yet soothing to know that perhaps we are not meant to be and those that are in control are doing a horrible job haha

My main takeaway is that as far as we're concerned, we only have one life, our perceptions are all valid, and whether or not we think we live in a simulation doesn't matter as our thoughts are real to us regardless of how fabricated they may be behind the scenes. It's perhaps just an optimistic things of viewing life but the matrix itself may be used as a justification for any wrongdoings lol In this book Lawrence tried to tie actual philosophers with the characters in the movies and how they themselves almost seem to represent the mentalities of the same philosophers. To this day I'm not sure whether I love the matrix so much because of how cool an actor Keanu is or because Neo is such a mysterious character.

I believe that we have some shred of free will however I am also aware that many live their lives in a non playable character sort of way because they have no choice but to revoke their free will due to financial issues or problems which always seem to boil down to family. I finished reading this book almost 20 years after it was published and I must say, I am surprised as very little seems to have changed. If anything, the government is creating more npcs by the second as there is a need for a society of workers rather than thinkers. Thinkers are able to swallow the red pill, workers are not given such a choice, it would almost seem to me as though they are made to overdose on blue pills. I hope to have the opportunity to understand the world for what it truly is and prevent myself from landing in a predicament where my opinion regarding reality is hindered, even if marginally. I would go as far as to say that the various points made in this book changed my life.

07/01/2025. Chapter 2 Tumbling down the rabbit hole review. I decided to start reading this one again and review each chapter individually. I do have a 1000 word long assignment due tonight so I am of course procrastinating as one does. This chapter has a lot to do with how we perceive the world and how much of it we can truly believe. Lawrence brings up Descartes and Russell to speak about scepticism and how delusional we should be about the reality we are living in. Personally, I don't care much. I'm quite a fan of the Cogito ergo sum I think therefore I am argument but wouldn't want to tumble further down the rabbit hole from there. I'm given a world to live in, I have apparently no choice but to do so, I don't see a point in questioning my existence, and I move on. As long as we're trying to make the best out of our lives as we can there's no point in wondering whether or not your existence matters or whether it's real. People who do this are often trying to justify their laziness and negate how they've never contributed anything of substance to the world they've been inhabiting for however many decades. This is the world we live in and even in its lucidity there's not much point in wondering whether or not we'll ever wake up. I tend to stay away from rabbit holes altogether to be honest.

[Stophe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really a great philosophy 101 book that tries to link examples to the three matrix movies, animatrix video and enter the matrix game. It does this very well but asside from the very excellent glossary and cast of characters which gives you the symbolism of names used down to what agent smith's car license plate "IS 5416" means, this is first of all a philosophy book. You will find all views on current philosophy, dualism determinism, etc etc discussed and defined. It's really great stuff and they try to make it as far removed from a college course as possible by going back to the matrix once in a while to give examples. I really liked it and learned a lot of things i missed back in college phil 101 that have pointed me to new books and ideas.

Although i haven't read these other books, it seems a trend now to link movies or tv shows to a book about philosophy. I've seen the tv show LOST and even "Battlestar Galactica" published as a "the philosophy of...". I have a feeling many of these books will also go over the same basic philosophy principles and try to make them stick to the show/ movie for better or worse.

[Gregory Pitts · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm someone who has never taken any formal courses in Philosophy. However I have done some extensive reading of important Philosophical works outside of the classroom.

This book is clearly best suited for an "Intro to Philosophy" course. In fact, the reason I was inspired to read this was that there was an introductory philosophy class at my university based on the Matrix.

For that purpose, I think the book can succeed at giving a brief introduction to philosophy because it relates the ideas with a somewhat recent piece of popular culture, especially to those who aren't particularly interested or are taking it to satisfy a requirement.

For someone who is interested in reading Philosophy for pleasure and outside of a required introductory course, it feels very much like a 30,000 foot overview and isn't quite at the level of detail I would have liked. But that pretty much aligns with my expectations and the goal of the book, so it's unfair to knock the book for that.

[Tao · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a great and fun intro to many fundamental Philosophy questions and ideas through the quotes and stories in the Matrix Trilogy. I especially like the last two chapters, which interprets various aspects of Matrix first through Taoism and then through Kant. It's an inspiring book if you're a fan of the Matrix movies

[Sherif Fahmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good book. I had read about "the look" and how it could make you live in "bad faith". Even read Sartre's "No Exit", but this book clarified the idea like no other work I have read. The same goes for most of the topics it covers. Was a bit surprised that deontology was not mentioned in the discussion on morality though. Anyway, this was a great read. Neotheone has spoken.

[David Keefe · Rating 5 out of 5]

For my money, the best Matrix-based philosophy book out there. It cuts right to the essence of the symbolic, philosophic, and religious meanings in all three films. Also gives a historical reference for each character or scene that represents or signifies a specific belief or attitude.

[CapZation · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the Matrix movies and have always enjoyed philosophical discussions of the concepts and ideas presented in film, so this book was something I just had to read. Needless to say, I really enjoyed the book and highly recommend it.

[Aaron Guilmette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really great guide to understanding the wide range of philosophical and religious themes in the movies, exploring everything from nihilism to Judiasm. It's enjoyable to read it prior to watching the philosophers' commentaries in the movies.

[milton · Rating 5 out of 5]

an excellent book! good definitions and explanations of matrix events with philosophical and religious concepts.

[David Nahinga,]

Read Chapter 10 http://thematrix101.com/books/likeasp...
Interesting Indeed

[Gernot · Rating 5 out of 5]

A travel through the matrix and through philosophy.

[Cameron Liam · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting philosophical account of The Matrix Trilogy that cuts through all of the special effects and karate chops to highlight some of the stories important intellectual roots.