The story took place in a dome called Romdeau, its citizen were expected to be a model citizen. One that did not question the system, one that did not break any rule, and one that followed the system. The dome was peaceful, there were rarely any crime. It was supposed to be an utopia, but one day upon investigating a case of an autoreivs infected by a virus, Re-l uncovered a hidden truth that made her question her reality. Our story was set. As they uncover more truth, more question also followed. We have 3 characters whose fate intertwined with each other.

• Vincent Law, an immigrant from a neighboring dome that had been destroyed by a war
• Re-l Mayer, a detective that was investigating a case where autoreivs were infected by the cogito virus. This virus allowed autoreivs to gain emotion and feelings of their own
• Pino, an autoreivs that was infected by the virus

Throughout the show, the prominent theme that kept popping up is the theme of purpose and reason.

_What would you do if you realized that the world is meaningless
What is your purpose in a purposeless world
Is God dead?_

The phrase I think therefore I am also kept popping up. Written by Descartes in his book, It was his answer to the question "what if this whole thing was a fantasy? What if this whole existence was a mere illusion given by our brain?"
Descartes answered by saying "I might not know if this world is an illusion, but I know that by thinking about said things, I can conclude that I exist, because you cant exist if you don't think" hence the phrase I think therefore I am

Before the events of the story, all 3 main characters were nothing more than a husk.

• Re-L worked mainly by following orders given by those who were higher than her
• Pino was an autoreivs that hadn't been infected by the cogito virus. She was merely a robot companion
• Vincent just wanted to become a model citizen because it was expected of him.

Once the nexus event started, i.e. Re-L discovered a hidden truth, Vincent were falsely accused by the system, Pino gaining emotion, the whole thing crumbled. The model citizen, the system, safe space. Everything was gone. They realized they had been living under a rock. There was a cold hard and brutal truth laying under them and so, they started to uncover the truth themselves, they started to go against what was normal. They started to think for themselves.

A lie is truth, until you recognize it as a lie. To see the truth behind those lies is probably the right thing to do. However, it may not necessarily bring happiness. Lies are Happiness -Hoody

Even so, they still strived to search for truth. Even if the truth itself could be far more cruel than the lies. Even if the truth itself was far more worse than the lies. Yet even so, they still moved forward. Re-l knowingly jumped head first to uncover the truth. She couldn't ignore it anymore. Vincent, realizing there was no more place for him, search for an answer. Pino was... well Pino. She gained emotions, but Pino did not care about the truth. Pino just wanted to have fun. Even if the world was bleak.

As they dived deep and travelled together, they realized just how awful their world is. Proxies that were immortal were roaming the deserted earth. Empty and/or destroyed dome. Toxin gas. Their world were essentially dead. You started to wonder, is it worth to live in a dead world, a world forsaken by God?

Ergo Proxy is a solid story that tackles the 3 pillars on philosophy of life, existentialism, absurdism and nihilistic. They were explored deeply and could be seen in the characters and in the interaction between them.

Existentialism represents an idea that "yes, life is meaningless, yes it has no purpose, so what? I am going to make my own purpose. I am going to live for my own goals and dreams." Re-l is a perfect example of an existentialist. She might not like what she would find but she was prepared. No longer she would be bound by the chain that was the system, she'd make a decision for herself.

Who cares if you’re not real? Even if this world is a lie, the memories and experiences carved into us are real. Both joy and sadness. -Re-l Mayer

Absurdism represents an idea that "yes, life is meaningless, but i don't care. I am going to continue living even if it is pointless."

The idea itself was popularized by Albert Camus, a well known philosopher. Camus argued that even if life is pointless, we must live as a revolt against it. Push forward despite it is nothing. Enjoy life to the fullest even if it all amounts to nothing. One must imagine Sisyphus happy, meaning that the journey is also if not more meaningful than the destination. Pino an autoreivs, was a perfect example of an absurdist. Despite the world had gone to a total mess, she still wanted to enjoy the world. She cared not other than her own happiness and her loved ones (Vincent and Re-l)

Nihilistic represents an idea that, "life is meaningless, everything is meaningless, therefore we should just perish into the nothingness." A nihilist would throw away everything, some would self destruct, some would destroy others.
A perfect example of this are the proxies. Being an immortal creature took a toll on them, some would go nuts, as a result they went on an rampage.

You can only live for so long, afterwards, you started to grow tired of life especially if you were living in an hellish earth. One that did not get better no matter how long you live.

It all seemed that there was no point, the world was broken, what was the point? Those thoughts occurred to the characters after they found out about the truth. In their journey they only found sorrow and misery, but in return they also found warmth in each other. Re-l started to appreciate Vincent more. Vincent had something worth protecting for. Pino just wanted to enjoy life. She was like a happy go lucky girl, despite knowing that the world is broken, she still pushed forward and had fun.

Why do humans always look to the sky? Why do you try so hard to fly when you don’t have any wings? We’ll run on our own legs. -Kazkis

__Even if life is pointless, there is a reason to keep going. Whether it is an act of revolt or for finding your own purpose, life is worth living. Find your small happiness, find your small joy. Enjoy life even if it is a small reasons.
Even if everything you do is tantamount to nothing, yet even so, you need to move forward. Do not succumb to the absurdity that is life. Live for your own life, choose your own faith. You are your own. Remember that you exist and you matter.__

That is the message that Ergo Proxy is trying to convey. It really is a thought provoking story that really hits you in the core. One that you should definitely check out because who knows? Maybe you'll get a new perspective in life.

Thank You