The Ethics of the Matrix

I was talking to a different Chinese student today. We got talking about management, a compulsory component of the course he is taking. He started talking about how most management techniques are simple and actually common sense. I definitely think he's right; a lot of management is fairly simple and extracting the best from a human being isn't that big a deal. I talked about one of Google's management techniques: the 20% rule - its so simple yet so effective - it came fruitful in the form of Google News (You can find a lecture by Larry Page and Sergey Brin here on the 20% rule). Anyway, that's another story; the point is we got talking about extracting the best from people.

He said that ultimately people aren't pleased by money, short hours etc. but they want to feel like they've achieved something and done something worthwhile. I agree with him there too but then he suggested manipulation of the human brain to create an environment and state of mind where people would be happy to work and be pleased - but work for dirt cheap - like the Matrix. Of course people would be none the wiser, and what's more they'd be happy too he argued. Maybe so, but deceiving someone from the truth of the real world to make them happy doesn't make the former a good action. In other words, a wrong action with the right intent is still a wrong action.

We should extrapolate this to our lives today. The world is temporary, and the after-life is eternal. So, using the analogy, we're like the people in the Matrix being told we're in the Matrix and explained what the Matrix is. Just like Neo was told what the Matrix was by Morpheus. How can we still continue to deceive ourselves into living for this world, if we know about the after-life? Ultimately the question is: Will you take the red pill or the blue pill?