Apple TV Sci-Fi Show’s & Christopher Nolan Film’s Philosophical Inspiration

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Apple TV+’s standout sci-fi series is based on a book that shares philosophical roots with Christopher Nolan‘s famous film, Interstellar.

The last ten years have seen a surge of incredibly creative and groundbreaking science fiction movies and TV shows. With the genre currently enjoying a huge level of popularity, many believe we’re living through a golden age for sci-fi.

While many new science fiction movies and shows feel original, some clear connections are starting to emerge. A highly praised film by Christopher Nolan, for example, shares philosophical ideas with the inspiration behind Apple TV+’s popular sci-fi series.

The Philosophy That Inspired Apple TV’s Silo Also Drove Christopher Nolan’s Inception

Plato’s famous “Cave” thought experiment describes prisoners chained in a cave, able to see only shadows on a wall. These shadows are their entire reality. The stories Silo and Inception explore similar ideas about perception and what is real.

Similar to the prisoners in Plato’s allegory who believe shadows are real, the people in the show Silo are fooled by fake images of the world outside. The characters in the movie Inception, particularly Leonardo DiCaprio’s character Cobb, frequently accept what appears to be reality, even when it’s actually just a dream.

Cobb points out that dreams feel completely real while we’re experiencing them, and it’s only after waking up that we recognize how bizarre they actually were. This idea of ‘waking up’ to reality is also seen in stories like Plato’s allegory of the cave, where a prisoner escapes and discovers the truth. Like the character Juliette in Silo, this escape can be disorienting at first, but ultimately reveals what’s really going on.

Similar to Juliette, he finds it frustrating that no one believes him when he tries to share what he knows with the other prisoners. In Inception, Cobb also faces a turning point, symbolized by leaving his “cave,” when he finally lets go of Mal. And just like the prisoners in the allegory, some characters in Inception—specifically those in the dream-den scene—are essentially asleep, living in a dream world they believe is real.

Plato’s Cave Allegory Has Inspired Many Popular Books, Shows, & Movies

Plato’s famous ideas appear in many works of modern fiction, including films like The Matrix and books like George Orwell’s 1984. The Matrix is a particularly clear example of his allegory, with Keanu Reeves’ character, Neo, playing the role of the prisoner who escapes, and the Matrix itself representing the deceptive illusions he once believed were real.

Even films like The Truman Show brilliantly illustrate this idea by depicting a man unknowingly living in a fabricated world. He accepts everything as real until circumstances force him to doubt his surroundings. Similarly, science fiction series such as Westworld, Severance, and The OA explore comparable themes regarding the nature of reality and how we perceive it.

What Silo’s Cave Allegory Parallels Reveal About The Apple TV Show’s Future Story

Because Juliette was the prisoner released from the story within Silo, she’ll likely have a much more open-minded and curious outlook than the other characters. It’s probable that others will escape with her and help her search for the truth.

Similar to the prisoners in Plato’s allegory and the characters in Christopher Nolan’s film Inception, many people, like Bernard in the Apple TV show, will likely choose the comfort of believing in illusions rather than confronting difficult truths as the story unfolds.

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2025-11-16 06:08