»The simplest way to explain Neo's powers.«

The Wachowskis have always been stressing the parallels between artificial intelligence and the human mind/soul. The reason the Second Renaissance started in the first place was because humans did not understand this concept. They treated machines like machines, not like beings. The machines tried desperately to be accepted as a part of society, and humans were too afraid of the consequences, of the responsibility of creating a race, however mechanical.

In the Matrix Revolutions, especially noticeable with Rama-Kandra's speech, the Wachowskis show us that sentient programs are capable of the exact same things the human mind is capable of, including emotions like love. They are trying to close the gap between organic intelligence and artificial intelligence.

Once viewers of the Matrix trilogy can understand this concept, it is much easier to accept the strange occurrences at the end of Reloaded and throughout Revolutions. Agent Smith is a sentient program, and as proven in Morpheus' interrogation of the first movie, he is capable of very human traits. Therefore, how impossible is it really for a program to simply take an organic form (the brain) when that program's behavior (as an agent) within the Matrix was almost exactly like a normal humans? The agents were no one and EVERYONE, and therefore Smith was already like a human to begin with.

As with Neo's powers, that too is pretty easy to understand; it's essentially the REVERSE of what happened to Smith. He came into contact with the Source, and thus was privy to a part of the machine conscious that human normally wouldn't understand. But because humans and machines are so similar, he was able to assimilate that into his own being (after all, the function of the One begins with certain code pre-built into it). Is Neo a machine? Of course not. He's as human as anyone else, but he is closer to bridging the physical and mental gap between A.I. and the human mind.

He is able to feel the machines' power within the real world just like a machine would. With his connection to the Source, he can feel everything that is effected by it. It's almost like a sixth sense, a mechanical sense, that he is aware of because of his journey as the One.

And that's it! Smith has control over the human world just as Neo has control over the machine world. The Architect is the mathematically-precise part of the machine conscious, and the Oracle is the emotional part (see the post titled "The Architect and The Oracle" or something like that). Neo and Smith act in a very similar way, one human, one machine, but both different sides of the same coin, the same purpose.

Makes alot of sense! How comes no replies?

I agree with this approach to explaining WHY Neo controls the machines in the real world. What we need now is a straightforward explanation of HOW he is able to do this. Agent Smith can take over people in the Matrix because they are all networked together through the tubes and wires in the pods. He learned to interface with the human brain and that allowed him to download his conciousness into Bane. But how did Neo stop the machines in the real world, assuming no MwM?

on why the power of the one extends into both worlds. it is both a logical and intelligent theory.

now on to the how:

this is probably the deepest aspect that I found in this story. the power of the one extending into both worlds is actually a testament to the power of the Archtiect program...and something else.

if you remember from the Architect's speech, the One is the remainder of an otherwise balanced equation. the matrix program would equal that unbalanced equation.

if the matrix is a simulation of reality, this would mean that the architect program has refined the primary matrix code to as close to the laws of nature as possible - almost proving chaos theory. chaos theory by definition is an unblanced equation and the search for its proof is the search for a unviersal order - a Divine Order, if you will.

The remaining equation is the only thing that the machine cannot solve for.

Many spiritual mathamaticians beleive that the balancing equation to the chaos theory would be the true name of God expressed mathamatically (as if there were any other way to express it).

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Please stop it with the pseudo-mathematical stuff.

1. "Balanced equation" in the mathematical sense, is redundant. If both sides are equal, it's an equation, if the sides are not equal, it's an inequality, not an "unbalanced equation."

The Architect was using a mathematical metaphor. The One is not literally "the sum of a remainder of an unbalanced equation inherent to the programming of the Matrix". What the Architect is saying is that emergence of the one is a natural, predictable, expected consequence of the flaws in the system. 99% of people accept the programming, but 1% reject it. Among those that reject it is One who rejects it on the most fundamental level, completely freeing him from software rules (there are still hardware rules that cannot be overcome, which is why Neo can't teleport.)

Neo is not literally 1 and Smith is not -1.

2. Chaos theory is "the study of unpredictable and complex dynamic systems that are highly sensitive to small changes in external conditions". There is no "balancing equation" for chaos theory.

Bishop wrote:

I agree with this approach to explaining WHY Neo controls the machines in the real world. What we need now is a straightforward explanation of HOW he is able to do this. Agent Smith can take over people in the Matrix because they are all networked together through the tubes and wires in the pods. He learned to interface with the human brain and that allowed him to download his conciousness into Bane. But how did Neo stop the machines in the real world, assuming no MwM?

Actually, any Agent could do the same; the Agents are software written to run on the human brain. If they unplugged a person that Agent Brown had taken over, Agent Brown's consciousness would be in that person.

I am trying desperately to understand how Neo is capable of stoping the squiddies as he stops bullets in the matrix, and all my answers lead back to either the MiM theory or that the Matrix Trilogy is a fantasy, not science fiction. DAMMIT PEOPLE, why can't I understand? I want to believe in the MiM theory, but it seems to easy.

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And that's it! Smith has control over the human world just as Neo has control over the machine world. The Architect is the mathematically-precise part of the machine conscious, and the Oracle is the emotional part (see the post titled "The Architect and The Oracle" or something like that). Neo and Smith act in a very similar way, one human, one machine, but both different sides of the same coin, the same purpose.

Can we finally say that it is EVOLUTION what were are seeing in front of our damn eyes?.

but you seem to be fighting against it.

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1. "Balanced equation" in the mathematical sense, is redundant. If both sides are equal, it's an equation, if the sides are not equal, it's an inequality, not an "unbalanced equation."

your are correct in its redundancy. yet it exists in this thread, in this post, in the architect's speech. this leads us to why does it exist? the redundant term exists because there is another equation. an unbalanced equation. and because it is unbalanced and systemic it is inherently imbalancing to the balanced equation.

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Neo is not literally 1 and Smith is not -1. 2. Chaos theory is "the study of unpredictable and complex dynamic systems that are highly sensitive to small changes in external conditions". There is no "balancing equation" for chaos theory.

stated logically - just like the architect a refusal to beleive in the oracle's equation. to help you in your search i will put forth that equation:

The Matrix exists. The Agents exists. Zion Exists. ALL because of one simple fact - the anamoly exsits. the architect who is bound by the parameters of perfection, must always try to solve for the anamoly.

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Please stop it with the pseudo-mathematical stuff.

i know it's difficult to break things down logically - maddening even. but you almost have the complete story. however, i can't make you choose to think this way. i can only show you evidence based on logic. if you want to deny logic and step into the realm of fantasy that is your choice and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. No one can dictate to anyone else what art (in any form) can mean to anyone else.

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Actually, any Agent could do the same; the Agents are software written to run on the human brain. If they unplugged a person that Agent Brown had taken over, Agent Brown's consciousness would be in that person.

rememeber that an agents purpose is stabilizing their own system - the matrix. smith was mutated by the anamoly when he was destroyed. how was he mutated?

since the anamoly is unsolvable to the machines, the only way to solve is to nullify. How do you nullify the oracle program's equation - the matrix exists, the Agents exists, Zion exists because the anamoly exists - so as to solve for the anamoly?

take over the matrix, take over the agents, wipe out Zion - revealing the equation that is the anamoly.

only an agent that has had sufficient contact with the anamoly would know about the complete equation. in this case it is the smith program. it is the only agent that would have a purpose to go into the real world. as far as any other agent is concerned, the only thing that is required to balance the equation is the matrix and its agents.

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some already posted a theory that Neo was part of the machine world. Although human he was created and programmed to fufil the role of being a control to humans in the real world. When he did his task he would return to source and data would be used to rebuild matrix. This would explain why when he was blind he was able to see Smith in Bane and machine world. As part program he has link to machines. He has the power therefore in real world to destroy machines.

Would also explain why he was glowing at the end. No one else human glowed.

Seems to make sense to me.

the anamoly is a human that encompasss the equation that cannot be solved by the machines. thereby both being human and machine engineered.

do you remember long division before learning about the decimal point?

think of the One as the remainder to a long division problem. if you have the remiander to the division problem you can solve for any variable within that division problem.

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"I don't fully understand how it happened...it is at this point irrelevant. What matters is, whatever happened happened for a reason."

I was never fully satisfied when I heard Agent Smith say that the first time I saw Reloaded. Everyone was eager to see how he came back, and no one ever really got an answer.

The same thing goes with pretty much everything else in this trilogy. People have to stop worrying about how things happened, but why. The original Matrix movie was easier to digest because it lacked the metaphysical occurrences of the other two. Everything bizarre that happened could be attributed to programs like agents or Neo's powers. When Smith starts cloning himself, when he takes over Bane, when Neo stops the sentinels -- these are all on the miracle level of existence, and people, we're just going to have to accept them for what they are.

Willing suspension of disbelief is what I suggest. When people question how a mere program can hack a human being's presence inside the Matrix, jack out, and control him in the outside world, they deviate from the messages the Wachowskis are trying to convey. When the Gospels were written, did they expect scientists and mathematicians to sit down and analyze how Jesus turned water into wine? No, but with each story written in the Bible, this story had a purpose, a message. It is the same way with the Matrix trilogy. Believe.

is very much like the oracle program.

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Willing suspension of disbelief is what I suggest.

this is the aspect that the oracle program presents to the architect program so that it can balance the equation of the matrix. even the oracle (being a program) can never comprehend the equation that is the anamoly.

it doesn't matter how the anamoly equation works. you just need to accept that it exists and that it is needed for everything else to work. as stated in the movie, the anamoly has made the oracale program a beleiver.

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Bishop wrote:

I agree with this approach to explaining WHY Neo controls the machines in the real world. What we need now is a straightforward explanation of HOW he is able to do this. Agent Smith can take over people in the Matrix because they are all networked together through the tubes and wires in the pods. He learned to interface with the human brain and that allowed him to download his conciousness into Bane. But how did Neo stop the machines in the real world, assuming no MwM?

When Trinity and Morpheus visit the oracle, they ask why where Neo is. The Oracle tells them that he is "trpped in between worlds." The oracle then goes on to explain that a program was inserted into Neo that has trapped him in the train station. It is the program that is in his brain from the visit at the source that connects him between both. This is fitting, since the program at the trainstation philosophized about love as a connection. This idea of connection is indicative of Neo's connection with the matrix, and all of this is in the context of the trainstation program in his head.

I remember not being happy when george lucas decided to explain THE FORCE in scientific terms in Episode 1 by saying mediclorians in your blood is what give you the mystical power ... because the force was never meant to be explained scientificaly ..it was suppossed to be FANTASY. Now i feel like the W. bros have done the same type of thing but this time they made the world/universe seem to be SCIENCE FICTION and then they make Neo and his powers into FANTASY .... i would have been happier if the force in star wars was never explained(thats just one problem of many i had with episode one) and i would have liked Revolutions to try and stick with the SCIENCE FICTION genre -jer

jelio123 wrote:

I remember not being happy when george lucas decided to explain THE FORCE in scientific terms in Episode 1 by saying mediclorians in your blood is what give you the mystical power ... because the force was never meant to be explained scientificaly ..it was suppossed to be FANTASY. Now i feel like the W. bros have done the same type of thing but this time they made the world/universe seem to be SCIENCE FICTION and then they make Neo and his powers into FANTASY .... i would have been happier if the force in star wars was never explained(thats just one problem of many i had with episode one) and i would have liked Revolutions to try and stick with the SCIENCE FICTION genre -jer

Exactly.

I have an explanation to HOW Neo stops the Sentinels that's not too much of a stretch (I don't think it's a stretch):

The Sentinels are being controlled by the source. They seem to be in constant communication with the source, and exhibit classic hive-like behavior. When Neo touches the source, part of him stays with the source. I'm not going to get too technical with how he maintains the link after he leaves because he does have somewhat paranormal powers since he could always affect the programming to begin with. But anyway, once he touches the source, he is able to affect the source from anywhere. So his influence over the Sentinels comes from his ability to influence the source itself.

I realize that the big question now is "how does he maintain he maintain the link without being connected?" I think that question has the same answer as "how does he the programming from inside the matrix?" Neo has a power to control the machines. At the beginning of the first movie, he exhibits almost no ability at all. When he realizes his ability, he can manipulate the programming from inside the matrix. Once he touches the source, he can manipulate machines and the source from anywhere. His powers evolved the more his mind developed.

I actually think that this is what the W. Brothers had in mind when they wrote it into the script. Does it make sense?

Did anybody seriously think that anything in the Matrix trilogy could be answered with a "how"? I mean, seriously. In the first movie, did anyone really question the whole process of jacking in and jacking out? It's almost as ridiculous as Neo stopping the sentinels, the Smith/Bane crap, the Machine God, etc...People will NEVER have a how, so why is everyone still trying?

Every post I've read explains things with sentences like "Neo touched the Source", "His powers grew beyond his control", whatever. That explains nothing. If the Wachowskis ever wanted to have their audience care about the "how" from a technical and scientific standpoint, they would never have gone this deep into the mysticism, the miracles, the storyline even. Once again, people, we're asking the wrong questions.

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Did anybody seriously think that anything in the Matrix trilogy could be answered with a "how"? I mean, seriously. In the first movie, did anyone really question the whole process of jacking in and jacking out? It's almost as ridiculous as Neo stopping the sentinels, the Smith/Bane crap, the Machine God, etc...People will NEVER have a how, so why is everyone still trying? Every post I've read explains things with sentences like "Neo touched the Source", "His powers grew beyond his control", whatever. That explains nothing. If the Wachowskis ever wanted to have their audience care about the "how" from a technical and scientific standpoint, they would never have gone this deep into the mysticism, the miracles, the storyline even. Once again, people, we're asking the wrong questions.

I agree there's a lot of overanalysis going on. But one of the charms of the movie is the extreme amount of hidden detail. Some things just have to be analyzed to make sure there wasn't something missed. "How Neo affected the Sentinels" is so speculated mainly because it seemed to be a key to the whole cliffhanger and turned out to be somewhat of a let down. I agree that there's a lot more to be analyzed in the rich religious and philosophical references and allegories, but it's kind of fun to speculate on some of the "hard science fiction." Besides, you started this thread [/quote]

Neo has new powers in the ¨real world¨ that include:
(1)Stoping sentinels and those flying bombs
(2)Wireless broadcasting to the Matrix
(3)and Ability to See Smith inside Bane/other machine aura while blind

All three of those powers are machine/technology related ....
Are Neos new powers limited to only ellectronics based tech or can he for example bend the spoon the kid gave him in reloaded? or maybe fly?

My guess is NO he cant because we didnt see him excersize non machine oriented powers.

If Neo cant then that removes 2 possibilities about HOW he has powers:
(1)The Matrix within a Matrix idea (because he should be able to do other things also)
(2)That Neo has become so perseptive and freed his mind so much that even ¨the real world¨ made up of matter and physics, is the same to him as ¨the matrix world¨ made up of green code (because he should be able to do everything he does in the matrix also)

So HOW Neo does it scientificaly?

Im stumped, but if i had to give a lame-o theory to try and explain i would say: Neos mind is the only thing that changed in him (though he remains irrevocably human) it was changed or switched onto the machine frequency, this human brain v2.0 knows how to use its implant in the back of the head like a radio he can send and pickup on machine frequency transmissions.

On another a similar note, does anyone know WHEN Neo got his powers? He noticed it in the real world after being with the Arcitect ¨somethings diff. i can feel them¨. I think it happend just before Neo started talking to the Arcitect, because the Arc tells him ¨The process has alterd your conciousness ... you remain human¨ I think the altering process was Neo walking through the door of light to meet the Arcitect, and that was where Neo became Neo v2.0

Any thoughts?

Jelio,

It is explained in the game "Enter the Matrix" and in "Revolutions" that Neo's powers expanded into the real world when he "touched the source." How this happened is still up for debate. But I agree, this kind of blows up the "Matrix within a matrix" theory because his powers seem limited to machine control only. And also because it seems to take a a physical toll on Neo to perform his acts in the Desert of the Real when it is pretty effortless inside the matrix. Still, if the W. Brothers decide to keep on going with a Matrix 4, they could still explain a "MwM" theory by saying that Neo is unable to fully manipulate the "real" matrix because he is unaware that he is still in a matrix. Awareness and belief seemed to be keys for him to do "one-like" acts in the first movie. Thoughts?

Yes i agree awareness and belief are the important factors of being the One in the matrix .... but i think it would be a stretch even for the W.Bros. to say that Neo only has limited powers in this ¨outer matrix¨ since hes still pluged in, because that would mean Neo has a semi-free mind (so touching the source in the matrix is the first step to a fully free mind?)... why would he manifest ONLY machine related powers with this semi-free mind? And if he were unpluged and gained more awarness, that would give him all the same standard matrix powers in the outer world? Thats a hard cookie to bite into ....and i like cookies .

bachsoffice wrote:

Besides, you started this thread

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...Good point.

I guess it's just my recent opinion. I started this thread a while ago, and it was brought back somehow. Check the first post's date. I agree with you 100%, it's a let down all right, I'm just wondering how the Wachowskis could have approached the subject in the third movie to make it completely clear in our heads. I mean, does anyone have any idea?