Daniel Wilson

Prof Mahn

Writing 20- Sec 92

15 November 2004

Modern Day Abraham

The Matrix trilogies captured the attention of audiences across the world. The combination of spectacular special effects and numerous levels of intellectual stimulation appeals to people of all ages and backgrounds, as the box office numbers proved. An integral character, Morpheus, is a stringent follower of the Oracle and her prophecies. This belief is what spurns him on throughout the series. Slightly less recent, Søren Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling deals almost entirely with the Father of Faith, the Biblical Abraham, and his act of sacrificing his only son because of his faith in God. Can the ancient Abraham and the modern Morpheus have anything in common? Does Morpheus fall under Kierkegaard’s description of a Knight of Faith? And if so, what would Kierkegaard say about modern pop culture?

Kierkegaard’s Knight of Faith

One must first understand Kierkegaard’s impression of Abraham, and why Abraham’s faith is so significant. Abraham’s faith called for a teological suspension of the ethical. “Teology” is from the Greek telos, which means end or goal (Kierkegaard 83). Thus Abraham suspends his ethical beliefs for a higher end. In his case, Abraham has to suspend the ethical law of a father’s love for his son for the higher goal of having faith in God. Kierkegaard names Abraham a Knight of Faith because of this suspension of the ethical for the higher end of believing in God’s promise.

The Knight of Faith is unable to explain his actions to others because there is no logical reason behind faith. If Abraham were able to explain his actions, then he would still be acting according to the ethical. Abraham relationship to God is a personal one. He does not communicate his actions or motivations, because he has no motivations. He simply believes.

The tragic hero also performs a double movement. In Abraham’s case, the first movement was when he gave up his son to God. He was able to resign himself to what was dearest. The second movement is the regaining of what was lost. Both of these movements occur simultaneously. This is the distinguishing act of the Knight of Faith. Abraham believed God’s initial promise of having a son, even when he was purposed to sacrifice him. This belief in God’s promise is what allowed Abraham to receive Isaac back after he had let go of Isaac.

Those around him hold the Knight of Faith in awe. He is respected but not emulated. He cannot be imitated because faith is inward and cannot be duplicated.

The Tragedy of the Tragic Hero

Kierkegaard draws a distinction between the Knight of Faith and the tragic hero. This is important to Kierkegaard because it allows him to place the Knight of Faith on a much higher plane. The Tragic Hero is a hero of the ethical. He sacrifices everything in order to uphold universal ethical laws. He sacrifices individual aesthetical desires for the greater good, and might even sacrifice a lower ethical standard for a higher one. Kierkegaard uses the example of Agamemnon, who sacrifices his daughter for the good of the country. The tragic hero may even sacrifice his own life, giving up what he values most for the universal ethic.

The tragic hero can always explain his actions. Ethics require him to do so. He acts according to ethical laws, which are laws based upon reason and justice. The ethical hero can therefore explain his actions, because they are motivated by the universal. Achieving a life dictated by ethical standards is admiral and not easy, but this is what makes living by faith even more distinguished. But the tragic hero cannot go beyond the ethical, for that is all he knows. The tragic hero cannot act in faith, because he does not understand faith. He is pitied and praised for his deed, because people understand why he did what he did.

Morpheus: The Next Abraham?

The basic premise of the Matrix Trilogy is a war between man and machine. Machines currently have man under subjugation in the Matrix, a computer program. The humans that are free from the Matrix live in Zion, the remaining human stronghold. Morpheus, a ship commander and leader among the remaining humans, believes that one day a human, namely The One, will end the war with the machines with humans as victors. This is based on a prophecy that Morpheus received from the Oracle, an all-knowing entity that is later found out to be a program.

Morpheus has qualities that strangely resemble that of Abraham. His absolute and unshakable belief in the Oracle is evident when he endangers a ship because he is awaiting further communication with the Oracle. In his discussion with Commander Lock, his superior, Morpheus responds:

Lock: I've spoken to the other captains, and I wanted to offer you the chance to explain your actions.

Morpheus: I wasn't aware that my actions required any explanation.

(Reloaded)

Morpheus is unable to explain his action of endangering these ships. On the surface, his motivation is to await response from the Oracle. But what he really cannot explain is why he is sacrificing his ships in order to communicate with the Oracle. The Oracle must be listened to, but why the Oracle is the only solution for Zion is based on the faith of Morpheus. This is the silent inwardness of the Knight of Faith.

Is this a teological suspension of the ethical? Or is Morpheus simply sacrificing one ethical law for a higher one? He could simply be sacrificing the lives of his crew for the lives of Zion. This would make Morpheus seem like a tragic hero. On closer inspection, Morpheus could be seen as undergoing a double movement of faith. Throughout the trilogy, Morpheus’ first movement was in believing the Oracle. This belief caused him to sacrifice. He believed that Neo was the One, that he would end the war and even sacrifices his life for Neo in the Matrix. In Reloaded he sacrifices his crew, his dignity, even his life because of the Oracle’s prophecy. Morpheus’ absurdity is seen in that he still believes in Neo when both the imminent destruction of Zion and Neo’s disbelief prove that the Oracle was wrong.

Morpheus: That's impossible, the prophecy tells us...

Neo: It was a lie, Morpheus. The prophecy was a lie. The One was never meant to end anything. It was all another system of control.

Morpheus: I don't believe that.

(Reloaded)

His second movement can be seen in Neo’s opposition to the prophecy. Morpheus must somehow reconcile the prophecy and Neo’s assertion. He does not lose faith in the Oracle or in Neo. God promised Abraham a son, and in the end Abraham still has his son. The Oracle promised that the One will end the War, and in the end the prophecy does come true. But even the One does not always believe this prophecy.

When Neo comes from his first discussion with the Oracle, Morpheus says, “What was said was for you and for you alone” (The Matrix). Morpheus sees the relationship between the Oracle and those she speaks with as personal and incommunicable. Abraham was not able to communicate his instructions from God. They were for him and for him only. Morpheus also believes in the ability of the One. The singularity and particularity of his belief contrasts the common universality of ethics. Thus Morpheus also experiences the inwardness and individuality of the Knight of Faith.

But just like the tragic hero, Morpheus is worshipped in Zion as a leader and an inspirational figure. Even outside the movie, Morpheus is admired for his stylish kung fu, witty quotes, and flashy wardrobe. Can he still be a Knight of Faith, despite all the outward admiration? I propose that he is admired for everything except his blind faith in the Oracle. As a leader, fighter, and hero, he is looked up to. But is he admired for his strong faith in the Oracle? His distinctive quality is his strong faith, but this may not be as recognized as other qualities. His belief in the Oracle is what is nobody understands, thus it is overshadowed by his leadership abilities. Because Morpheus is not recognized for the very quality that makes him great, he is a Knight of Faith.

Commander Lock: The Art of Rationalization

Commander Lock is the man of the hour…or rather of the age. He is the pragmatic Descartes. His desire is to comprehend the situation, and find a reasonable solution.

Lock: I don't want to hear that shit! I don't care about Oracles or prophecies or Messiahs. I care about one thing: stopping that army from destroying this city, and to do that I need soldiers to obey my orders.

(Reloaded)

The reason that I am bringing out Lock is that he is a clear-cut tragic hero, and that he conflicts head on with Morpheus. Lock dies fighting for Zion and the human race, thus he is a tragic hero. Yet he disagrees with Morpheus because he is set on saving Zion through reasonable means. Commander Lock is a foil of Morpheus. Morpheus does use reason in his perception of reality, but his integration of irrational faith is what distinguishes him. Lock cannot commit to what he doesn’t understand. Lock must understand what he is sacrificing, and why he is sacrificing. He says, “Be hard for any man to risk his life. Especially if he doesn't understand the reason”(Reloaded). It is a doubt that is founded in pragmatism, and thus easily understood. Morpheus may not understand the origin or methods of the Oracle, but he believes nevertheless.

Child-like Faith

The Knight of Faith is can be perceived as a lunatic because of his absolute faith. In a conversation with Neo, the Oracle describes just how child-like Morpheus’ faith is:

Oracle: Are you sure you want to hear this? Morpheus believes in you, Neo. And no one, not you, not even me can convince him otherwise. He believes it so blindly that he's going to sacrifice his life to save yours.

(The Matrix)

Morpheus believes in the One blindly, just as he believes in the prophecy of the Oracle. To an outsider, Abraham’s faith in God may seem blind. It seems that this child-like faith and rationalization are at the opposite sides of the spectrum. Can they be reconciled? Morpheus defines his actions by a strong belief in the words of the Oracle. Lock defines his life by reasoning through everything that he encounters. Morpheus does doubt reality, but he never doubts the Oracle. His child-like faith sets him apart.

Would Kierkegaard Approve?

Kierkegaard’s major critique was against the “dirt cheap” faith of his age. He wanted to make faith more than just a possession of anyone who claimed it. Faith is tough, it involves fear and trembling, it involves a tremendous leap beyond the aesthetical and ethical comfort zones of the individual.

Does our society still possess this majestic ability? Truly, one cannot make a judgment call about society on the basis of a series of movies. But icons of popular culture are a good indication of cultural belief. I believe that Kierkegaard would admire Morpheus for his unmovable stance on what he believes. But our society admires Lock’s rationalization of reality more than Morpheus’ faith in an Oracle. That is why Kierkegaard would have the same critique in our time that he had in his own time. We are “unwilling to stop doubting everything,” and have thus become Hegel’s children. Even with our modern Abraham we still desire to go beyond faith instead of remaining at faith. Not much has changed in 200 years.

Works Cited

Primary Sources

Kierkegaard, Soren. Fear and Trembling. New York: Penguin Books, 1985.

Wachowski, Andy, and Wachowski, Larry. 2003. Reloaded Transcript. http://www.zionmainframe.net/main/reloaded/archive/transcript.txt (Accessed November 12, 2004)

Wachowski, Andy, and Wachowski, Larry. 2003. Revolutions Transcript. http://www.zionmainframe.net/main/revolutions/archive/transcript.txt (Accessed November 12, 2004)

Wachowski, Andy, and Wachowski, Larry. 1999. The Matrix Transcript. http://www.zionmainframe.net/main/matrix/archive/transcript.txt (Accessed November 12, 2004)

Secondary Sources

Faller, Stephan. Beyond the Matrix. St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2004.

Haber, Karen. Exploring the Matrix: Visions of the Cyber Present. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2003.

Irwin, William. The Matrix and Philosophy: Welcome to the Desert of the Real. Chicago: Open Court, 2002.