I think it's all Evolution. Man evolved, then we developed machines, and then machines evolve. If machines are better at evolution than we are, we lose out competively and machines win. It's all up to Mother Nature's the law of the fitest.

Mother nature doesn't have as much of a domain in this category. The evolution of robots only goes as fast as we let it go right now. Our destruction by them is governed by how successful we want to be.

How do you know that we weren't destined to create machines to replace us?

I must admit when I went to see the first Matrix film at the cinema I wasn't impressed. The whole style of it looked dated - like a 1980s cyberpunk novel - and I thought it ended just as it was starting to get interesting. Hopefully the next film will be better.

Also I notice that in the cheesy 1970s episode of Dr Who called "the deadly assassin" the doctor also plugs himself into "the matrix" and does battle with bad guys. Were the makers of the matrix films Dr Who fans perchance?

- Bob

I believe the use of the term Matrix in geek circles to describe complex computer networks dates back to at least the early 1980s if not earlier. It was sometimes used to describe the interconnected mess that was made up of ARPAnet, Usenet, Fidonet, Bitnet, and other early internets. It could well date back even farther. The term was made famous by John S. Quarterman's book of the same name sometime around 1990.

The "Matrix" in Doctor Who first showed up in a late 1978 episode, The Deadly Assasin, and was a reference to the communications network that was connected to the Panopticon on Gallifrey but, practically, it was the same thing as "Cyberspace" which turned up a decade later in Gibson's book, Neuromancer; a VR representation of a computer internet. And the movie, The Matrix, is very derivitive of Neuromancer and cyberpunk in general, so your comments are right on. The difference, of course, is that the movie postulates that what we believe to be the real world is the matrix (or cyberspace or virtual realty or a dream whatever term you prefer).

I could ask you how do you know that we were destined? But that wouldn't get anywhere. We have created machines to allow us to survive and flurish. The real question is: How ironic is life? Will the inginuity that has brought us to this point also destroy us in the future? Or will something else happen before that can happen? It boils down to a lot of interesting question with almost no answers. Fun to think about sometimes but last time I check, my field of study is electrical engineering--not philosophy.

I guess I'm not an expert since I haven't seen the matrix yet. I hope to watch it soon and therefore become an expert.

It all depends on what you are looking for in a movie. For me, I don't want to have to work too hard and hang onto every detail and conversation to enjoy it. Matrix was beyond me and I'm not ashamed to admit it.