Arman Ali Ghodsinia Prof Alvarez Philo 1

2013-14783 | BS MBB


In his phrase tyranny of custom, Russel used two very strong words tyranny and
custom. These words try to emphasize how a persons lack of curiosity and wonder may force
him to accept everything around him as it is, and eventually imprison him to his customs. As he
said, a man with no tincture of philosophy is imprisoned in a life of prejudices derived from
common sense and habits. He lives in a world where unfamiliar ideas are quickly rejected.
In the Matrix, the tyranny of custom was very apparent in the lives of its people. Firstly,
most citizens of the Matrix have not yet realized that they were really living a computer
generated life. They have become prisoners of their customs, and have stopped to philosophize
about the world around them. Hence, the humans have so far lost the battle against artificial
intelligence. Neo, although eventually freed from the tyranny of his customs, was also at first its
prisoner. One scenario in the movie where this was apparent was when he got fooled into
believing that the lady in the red dress was not an enemy, but a really attractive person. Here, it is
apparent that Neo, used to the idea that a woman can never suddenly turn into another person, is
imprisoned by the tyranny of his custom.
Once Morpheus revealed the truth to Neo, it is noticeable that Neo was in shock. He kept
saying This is not real., I want out., and other lines of similar connotation. Obviously, Neo,
being used to the life he had lived for several years, could not accept the sudden change that was
revealed to him. In fact, it was clear that he was fearful of this change. Here, it is obvious that it
is not easy to veer away from tyranny. How can you expect a person who has lived his entire life
in certain ways and customs accept the fact that his life was nothing but a lie. This was also the
reason why Morpheus apologized to Neo after the revealing the truth about the Matrix.
According to him, they never reveal the truth about the Matrix to people older than a certain age
because it is harder for older people to break away from beliefs and customs they have been used
to.
A man must escape this tyranny of custom because he forgets to think critically, forgets
to question the world around him, and ultimately, closes himself to the possibilities the world
may have to offer. In order for a man to not be imprisoned by the tyranny of his customs, he
must start to philosophize and ask questions about the world around him. Although, his questions
may never end up having definite answers, he may able to free himself from the tyranny of
custom by opening his mind to the possibilities of the world and keeping his sense of wonder
alive.