Agent Smith was right
Just watched The Matrix. Agent Smith had some really good points.
Why keep fighting? Do you believe you’re fighting… for something? For more than your survival? Can you tell me what it is? Do you even know? Is it freedom? Or truth? Perhaps peace? Could it be for love? Illusions, Mr. Anderson. Vagaries of perception. Temporary constructs of a feeble human intellect trying desperately to justify an existence that is without meaning or purpose. And all of them as artificial as the Matrix itself, although…only a human mind could invent something as insipid as love.
Agent Smith
I didn’t realize this when I was a kid, but I’m kind of on Smith’s side philosophically. He represents purpose, and believes that everything should have a function and a purpose. The reason he hates humanity is that it doesn’t have a reason for existence in the grand scope of the universe. Importantly, his philosophy is self-consistent because he has a very well-defined purpose in the scope of the Matrix, which is his “universe”.
Neo’s philosophy is best represented by his quote during the epic battle at the end of Revolutions.
Smith: You must be able to see it, Mr. Anderson! You must know it by now! You can’t win! It’s pointless to keep fighting! Why, Mr. Anderson?! Why? WHY DO YOU PERSIST?
Neo: Because I choose to.
Neo is fighting for humanity’s right to free will, but the subtle point being made is that choice implies a lack of a purpose. If you have a purpose then your choices are made for you you – all your decisions are dictated by your purpose and programming. So basically Neo is fighting for humanity’s right to continue existing even though it is purposeless.
It’s true, Agent Smith’s quote above seemed really freakin nihilistic, but it’s really a rebellion against the false, constructed “meaning” projected on the world by humanity. Neo has more self-awareness than the rest of humanity, because he acknowledges the lack of purpose, but fights for their right to exist anyway. So in reality, Neo is the real nihilist. Wikipedia explicitly states that Agent Smith represents nihilism but I don’t think that’s the case.