Neo vs. the Karate Kid

Micah Watson

The Matrix and The Karate Kid offer two competing views of the relationship between how we learn and how we understand human nature.
How does the Karate Kid’s model of learning differ from Neo’s in The Matrix? What assumptions does each model make about human nature and how we learn? Is one more or less true to what it means to be genuinely human? Is “genuinely human” still a meaningful phrase?
I would submit that The Matrix and The Karate Kid illustrate two competing visions of what it means to be human and to be a student. Each vision is well-entrenched in Western thought and practice.
... those of us who are persuaded will do well to continue making the case for an older approach to learning and cultivating excellence, one that is grounded in a more permanent understanding of human nature.

Prudentia Politica