You’re the one living in a fucking dream Silberman
Due to Dr. Silberman’s epistemological short sightedness, his entire career is unraveled by one act:
There’s a delicious irony in this scene, but not in the manner expected. Rather than satisfaction at Silberman’s confrontation with reality, it’s the long term implications that are devastating.
Though he is one of the few people to survive a close encounter with a Terminator, Silberman’s fate is worse than death.
Having worked with Sarah for many years, Silberman would undoubtedly know the magnitude of this situation.
In looking at the sequence in its entirety, Silberman witnesses the following:
Had Silberman witnessed only one of these actions, he could dismiss it as a hallucination due to his earlier near death experience involving root cleaner. However, the entire event has multiple points of evidence:
numerous witnesses
several injuries
a dead security guard
physical damage to the building
security camera footage
small details that emphasize the realism of the event - e.g. the T1000 snagging the gun as it passes through the door
Added to the above, the later destruction at the Cyberdyne building involved multiple witnesses and was undoubtedly captured on video. This evidence makes the Silberman’s experience impossible to dismiss. He would then have to admit that Sarah’s story was true, and despite his lifetime of expertise, he has been proven incorrect. The result would be a level of cognitive dissonance that nobody would be able to withstand.
“Reality is that which when you stop believing in it, it doesn’t go away.”
- Philip K. Dick
Following this, not only would Silberman question his perception of reality, but Sarah’s words would come back to haunt him:
Sarah Connor: (crying) “Look. We know the dream’s the same every night. Why do we have to-”
Dr. Silberman: “Please continue.”
SC: “The children look like burned paper, black. Not moving. Then the blast wave hits them… and they fly apart like leaves.”
Dr. Silberman: “Dreams about the end of the world are very common Sarah.”
Sarah Connor: “It’s not a dream you moron. It’s real. I know the date it happens.”
Dr. Silberman: “I’m sure it feels very real to you.”
Sarah Connor: “On August 29th 1997 it’s gonna’ feel pretty fucking real to you too!”
Knowing that Sarah’s dreams of the future were true, Silberman’s extensive knowledge of her nightmare would then drag him headlong into the abyss. Added to this, beyond Silberman replacing Sarah in a padded cell, there is an additional layer of irony.
“You’re the one living in a fucking dream Silberman!”
By the end of the film, Judgement Day is prevented. However, Silberman saw both Terminators, with physical evidence to underscore the reality of the event. In his mind, Judgement Day is now an undeniable truth, but his reality is founded on an experience from a different timeline – in effect, a hallucinatory vision. The result of this is an inversion of Sarah’s fate. Silberman would then believe the end of the world is imminent, but his vision would be based on an event that has undergone a ‘retroactive abortion’.
“If you think this Universe is bad, you should see some of the others.”
- Philip K Dick
This journey from smug expert to a fate worse than death highlights the importance of respecting our limitations.
The ultimate irony however, is found when Silberman’s expertise is contrasted with Skynet’s approach to learning.