Waking Life: Part III
Death and Reality
Chapter 5 of the film opens with a couple laying in bed. They begin to discuss the perception of reality, "how you often feel like you're observing your life from the perspective of an old woman about to die". Although short, this interaction begets the question of reality. In Book VII the idea of 'the cave' is introduced, "See human beings as though they were in an underground cave-like dwelling with its entrance, a ling one, open to the light across the whole width of the cave" (514a). The cave itself is a representation of an individuals perceived reality, "they are fixed, seeing only in front of them unable because of the bonds to turn their heads all the way around" (514a).
"So then six to twelve minutes of brain activity, I mean, that could be your whole life. I mean, you are that woman looking back over everything" (Waking Life) this quote brings into question the known. Socrates begins by specifying that the dwellers of the cave have been there, chained since birth, "They are in it from childhood" (514a) meaning that these human beings know only what is in the cave, "For in the first place, do you suppose such men would have seen anything of themselves and one another other than the shadows cast by the fire on the side of the cave facing them?" (515a). Although, "Such men would hold that the truth is nothing other than the shadows of artificial things" (515c), these beings know of their existence and know that their world is the cave, their perception of reality is not necessarily accurate, having been confined to one place or a singular way of life these people have no comparison and no way to know what is truly real.
The discussion between the two characters in this chapter verbally addresses doubt. The act of questioning then discussing mimics the dialogue in The Republic, revealing that Waking Life, utilizes the socratic method in order to understand that which is impossible to grasp, again mimicking Socrate's quest for knowledge.
The discussion between the two characters in this chapter verbally addresses doubt. The act of questioning then discussing mimics the dialogue in The Republic, revealing that Waking Life, utilizes the socratic method in order to understand that which is impossible to grasp, again mimicking Socrate's quest for knowledge.
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