> But this has a disturbing side. In the essay "On Nihilism" Mr.
> Baudrillard announces that in the face of "hegemonic" power, there is
> but one response: terrorism. He writes, "I am a terrorist and
> nihilist in theory as others are with their weapons." Similarly, in
> "The Matrix," Morpheus tells Neo he must regard all inhabitants of
> that virtual world as enemies that may be killed; anyway, most people
> are "not ready" for the truth. Morpheus is even wanted by the
> Matrix's ruthless agents for "acts of terrorism." While we are meant
> to cheer him on, neither Mr. Baudrillard nor the Wachowskis nor the
> philosophical essayists explore the ethical limits of these
> all-too-familiar convictions....
>
> (Edward Rothstein, "Philosophers Draw on the Film 'Matrix,'" _New
> York Times_ 24 May 2003,
> <http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/24/arts/24MATR.html>) *****
> --
> Yoshie
====================
The presumption is, of course, that the State's claim to a monopoly on violence is legitimate and is not itself a manifestation of nihilism, as Wolfowitz, Rummy et al demonstrate all too well.
Ian