Virtuality and Reality: The Mapping of Posthumanism and the Re-definition of Human Existence in The Matrix

Virtuality and Reality: The Mapping of Posthumanism and the Re-definition of Human Existence in The Matrix

Authors

  • Qi Tan School of Foreign Studies, Minzu University of China, Beijing 100081, China
  • Yuwei Huang (Corresponding Author) School of Foreign Studies, University of Science & Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China; Institute of Area Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100091, China

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53469/jsshl.2025.08(03).01

Keywords:

Posthumanism, Virtual Reality, Human Identity, The Matrix

Abstract

This paper examines The Matrix (1999) through the lens of posthumanism, exploring how the film challenges traditional notions of human identity, existence, and agency by blurring the boundaries between reality and virtuality. The paper argues that The Matrix functions as a critical posthumanist allegory, exploring the redefinition of humanity in the face of technological advancements, artificial intelligence, and simulated realities. By analyzing the themes of human autonomy, cyborgization, and the collapse of the human body, this paper demonstrates how the film maps key posthumanist concepts, reflecting the tensions between the organic and the synthetic, the real and the simulated. Through its depiction of a dystopian future where the human body is commodified and consciousness is manipulated by technology, The Matrix challenges the autonomy of the human subject and offers a vision of existence where the distinctions between the organic and the artificial are increasingly indistinct. In doing so, it calls into question traditional understandings of identity, existence, and human agency, offering a critical perspective on the future of the human condition in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.

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Published

2025-03-04

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