USH'S MATRIX GAME 2006 FOURTH ASSIGNMENT (PHILOSOPHY)- 'The Door'

"What is important then? Your skills as a General?"

"Many things are important, Melkor; that was a very trite question. And Hephaestus, do try and keep up. Your assumptions in that area are simply wrong. But I do not intend to give away any of my military plans, else what sort of general would I be? All that is important is that I do not think there is any threat. So that is that."

"Then how will this end mankind?"

"It doesn't matter."

Heph falls quiet, not seeing the real point to bickering with a General who will not share the answer to their fatal problem.

Pretty much so, and this was the puzzle I alluded to at the start of the episode, and which you had better come up with an answer to pretty darn quick...

Yeah, so I see.

We have to somehow convince him that this will not help him win the war against Zion, I think. He would abandon the action if all he is doing is dooming the Machines.

You have zero leverage there. He has information on the state of things and you have none.

Well, so pragmatic argument falls, and ethical argument falls. We don`t have any arguments left.

Gosh. Poor Humanity.

I think what we have to do is find a way to prove that System is safer with Humanity then without it or something along those lines. Remember is ultimate goal is to make sure the system is safe.

Considering Human activity is now what is causing the current crisis that's an impossible sell.

His purpose is to win, totally. And he knows how to.

Then we have to convince him that he cannot win if the Matrix is destroyed. But he's pretty sure of his tactic, whatever it may be...

We've already covered that. You've got nothing on him there at all.

As an out of game thing, he's entirely right about that. He's right, he knows he is right, he can prove it, he's just not going to tell you why.

Because that would be like telling us his battle plan.

Absolutely. Against one of his base principles.

He keeps telling you it doesn't matter, because it really doesn't. You are not going to affect his strategic thinking, so even if by some random chance he was wrong, it doesn't make any difference. He believes what he believes and he doesn't care what you think.

As it happens he IS right. Being perfect and all.

So we cannot possibly affect his thinking. I doubt that he is interested in philosphy.

What is left now, trying to defeat him in combat?

He;s very interested in Philosophy. He's just already 100% decided on it.

Feel free to take him on. You won't win though.

"So do you want to guide the Machine society, or only guard it?"

"Both, of course."