# Everything you know as reality is FAKE!

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everything-you-know-as-reality-is-fake/24570>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [July 4, 2000, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everything-you-know-as-reality-is-fake/24570 "2000-07-04T18:27:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![ren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@ren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ren)\
**Post date:** [July 5, 2000, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everything-you-know-as-reality-is-fake/24570/21 "2000-07-05T21:25:43Z")

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**wevets** , thanks for the great sig…

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**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 2000, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everything-you-know-as-reality-is-fake/24570/22 "2000-07-06T03:12:01Z")

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David B wrote:

> [@](#):
>
> > [@](#):
> >
> > What if I came to you (a la matrix) and told you everything you knew didnt exist, never had.
> 
> Haven’t seen the movie, so I can only go by what you described. But, no, I wouldn’t believe you. I’m not sure how you’d prove it – how was it proven in the movie?

You take this little red pill, and then a full-length mirror turns into a ray-tracing special effect and jumps down your throat, and then you find out that everyone is really a giant Duracell[TM] battery, but now that you’ve been “freed” you can run around in a giant raincoat and shoot people in slow motion.

Seriously, that’s what the plot of _The Matrix_ is. I swear I am not making this up.

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**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 2000, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everything-you-know-as-reality-is-fake/24570/23 "2000-07-06T04:38:12Z")

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I shall know quote from the Clanbook:Malkavian  
It is a great read for anyone who feels like questioning reality or getting the phone numbers of the pixies who live in the wainscotting and control the White House  
“In truth, we are all mad. How do you know we are sitting here talking reasonably? What would happen if we were really in an asylum somewhere, raving for the delight of spectators? Well, they would interpret that frightened look you have on your face and the wayyou are backing away from me as some meaningful remnant of your potty training behavior! So they would probe you with rude implements and shock you with electricity and slice off bits of your psychic selves in an effort to cure understand and `cure’ your madness! And what would happen then? You would suffer inexplicable problems that seem to lack a cause. How do you know they are not doing that right now?”

I have enough problems believing in reality now without any meddlesome time travelers or matrix-hackers complicating the issue.  
The best statement I’ve read on this “The nature of reality is apparent but unprovable.”

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