In this blog post, using the movie ‘The Matrix’ as a starting point, we’ll explore the nature of the self and the meaning of experience, and consider whether the self formed at the boundary between reality and virtual reality can truly be called the “real me.”
Neo, the protagonist of the sci-fi film ‘The Matrix’, lives in a virtual space created by machines. In the real world where Neo exists, a war between machines and humans took place, and the machines emerged victorious. The victorious machines dominate humanity, using humans as a source of energy. Neo, too, is raised as an energy source for the machines and lives within the virtual reality they have created. The machines created a virtual reality called “The Matrix” to prevent humans from realizing the reality of their enslavement. Humans live within this virtual simulation, unaware of the condition of their physical bodies. Most humans die without ever recognizing reality—and without even knowing that the virtual reality is a lie—until they are rescued by a resistance movement against the machines, such as Morpheus and his group. If, like in the movie ‘The Matrix’, the reality we currently perceive is actually a virtual reality, does that mean the “me” within that virtual reality is not the true “me”?
Looking at the process of human development, the sense of self—the “I”—is a product of experience. A newborn baby possesses a sense of self limited to distinguishing between itself and the outside world and satisfying basic needs. During infancy, humans react to the lights in the delivery room and cry when they are hungry—that is the extent of their behavior. But the “me” of today is different. I recognize “myself” through relationships with others, and I even strive to define who I am. Of course, biological brain development plays a role, but it is reasonable to assume that, alongside brain development, the experiences and stimuli received from the surrounding environment have contributed to shaping who I am today. In this sense, the self is a product of an individual’s experiences and memories. For example, through interactions with friends, I may share and accept preferences regarding the opposite sex, and an experience of being bitten by a dog may lead me to develop a fear of dogs.
The statement “I have five fingers” can be interpreted to mean “If I don’t have five fingers, I am not myself.” In this sense, my characteristics are part of my self. While stating one of my characteristics does not mean that everything possessing that characteristic is “me,” if I lose that characteristic, I am no longer the same person I was before. The various characteristics that represent me tell us who I am right now. However, just because I come to hold different thoughts than before does not mean that I cease to exist. Losing a single characteristic that defines me can also serve as a catalyst for becoming a new version of myself.
As an example of this, let’s consider someone who overcame the loss of a leg following an accident. Mr. A, who lost his leg in a traffic accident, began swimming during his rehabilitation. At first, swimming—which he took up after losing his leg—was an incredibly daunting task. However, with the help of a swimming instructor who guided him enthusiastically, he found hope in life. Through his bond with the instructor and the encouragement and support of those who stood by him even after the accident, he was able to reaffirm his will to live and carry on. That said, not everyone who acquires a disability due to an accident overcomes it and moves forward with a new sense of self. Therefore, the loss of characteristics that define oneself can feel like a crisis of self-identity. If a person’s personality is not predetermined solely by genes, then a crisis of self-identity may—or may not—be overcome based on the person’s life experiences. In that case, the characteristics a person currently possesses can still be considered an important factor in determining their sense of self, alongside their life experiences and genetic factors.
So, what if I were a character in a computer game? If I were a character in a computer game, would I be able to recognize that I am an entity moving according to someone else’s instructions from the outside? Let’s assume I am a typical character in an online role-playing game. I possess attributes such as attack power, defense, intelligence, and magic defense, and these attributes are shaped based on the character’s experience accumulated through the player’s actions. By chance, there might be a character that is identical to me in appearance, as well as in attack power, defense, health, and mana. However, it is unlikely that a character exists whose play history perfectly matches mine. In this sense, no character shares exactly the same experiences as I do.
My movement is achieved through countless inputs in all directions—up, down, left, and right—and the number of possible movement paths increases exponentially when comparing ten moves to a hundred. When actions such as attacking, defending, and casting spells are added to this, my play history accumulates in even more diverse ways. In this sense, my in-game self possesses the potential for a sense of self. However, a sense of self is a concept that only comes into being when I recognize myself as “me.” Since a character in a game is not a being that recognizes itself but rather an entity that responds only to external stimuli such as mouse clicks or keyboard inputs, it is difficult to view it as accepting itself as a self.
Let’s assume that the character we examined earlier has been given the ability to recognize its own existence. Although the character is unaware that it is a being within a game, it forms its own characteristics based on its accumulated experiences, just like a real human being. The in-game character would establish its identity by believing that the external stimuli applied by the player represent its own judgments. If, due to technological advancements, an in-game character were to develop a level of trust in its own senses, experiences, and sense of self comparable to that of a real human, it would form a sense of self indistinguishable from that of a real human. At this stage, the difference in the degree of self-awareness between the in-game character and the human outside the game would disappear. Even if an external source of stimulation continues to exist, the in-game character becomes a separate entity from the player outside the game because it is forming its own sense of self.
Let’s reframe the problem slightly: suppose the life I am currently living is like the movie ‘The Matrix’. Modern neuroscience shows that human senses and emotions are formed through electrical signals in the nervous system and the action of various neurotransmitters and hormones. Let’s imagine this scenario based on that perspective. If science and technology advance sufficiently, it might be possible to generate emotions and sensations by applying artificial stimuli to the brain. Even while the body is immobilized, if appropriate electrical and chemical stimuli are applied to the brain, one could feel emotions such as joy and sadness in virtual reality—even if unable to move in reality—and experience not only smells like strawberry or banana but also tactile sensations and pain. If information about the surrounding environment and people were also provided through appropriate stimulation, I would become a being living within virtual reality.
In such a case, my self formed in virtual reality could be viewed as equivalent to the self established through the “dream” of virtual reality. Since my real-world self and my virtual-reality self share the same body and brain, the experiences and emotions gained by the self engaged in mental activity within virtual reality ultimately shape the self of my physical body. From this perspective, my virtual self is not a false existence but the sole self that moves my physical body. If Neo in the movie ‘The Matrix’ felt that the reality in which he was trapped by machines was unjust and decided to join the resistance movement, that would be a choice made by the self formed within virtual reality. The perceptions and actions that label virtual reality as evil are also the product of experiences accumulated in the world he believed to be false. Thus, even if I exist within virtual reality, I am not a false existence but rather a unique and real self. Although these experiences were not directly experienced through my physical body, there exists within my body only one self, formed on the basis of my mental experiences.
Freud described the human mind as consisting of three realms: the conscious, the preconscious, and the unconscious. The conscious is the realm of mental activity that we are currently aware of, while the unconscious is the realm where instinctual desires—which we do not normally recognize—and emotions and memories formed through experience are stored. Between the conscious and the unconscious lies an intermediate stage called the preconscious, and it is explained that human dreams are formed through the interaction of these three mental realms.
Just as stimuli experienced in reality influence the content of dreams, stimuli received in virtual reality can also shape dreams. This is because the stimuli that the conscious mind absorbs in virtual reality accumulate to form the preconscious and unconscious, and dreams are created based on this. In this way, the “self” within virtual reality becomes an entity capable of even creating dreams.
As we go through life, there are moments when reality flows so smoothly that we find ourselves wondering if it might actually be a lie. Conversely, there are times when reality is so difficult that we wish everything were a lie and want to escape. However, whether this reality that I feel and perceive is a lie or the truth, the “me” of the present has been shaped precisely by that reality. If I love myself, rather than running away from reality or turning a blind eye to the facts, I should love the reality I am currently living in with a heart full of self-love.
