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A review by willowbiblio
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
5.0
"You will be required to do wrong no matter where you go. It is the basic condition of life, to be required to violate your own identity. At some time, every creature which lives must do so. It is the ultimate shadow, the defeat of creation; this is the curse at work, the curse that feeds on all life. Everywhere in the universe."
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I saw Blade Runner a few years ago and found it hard to follow because of the bad acting and 80's camp. This was so much better. I loved that constant positing of the existential question- what makes something human and deserving of life? That the answer was empathy was so interesting to me because it's something we lack in modern society. Additionally- the question posed by the alleged falsehood of Mercerism. Would society continue to follow a religion proven to be created by humans to create purpose and guidance? Was Rick's experience at the end real?
The contempt for other life displayed by the androids was difficult to stomach. The scene with the spider mutilation and Dick's juxtaposing the human response vs android response was tough. It also created some interesting questions about the right to life and autonomy for AI.
I loved the low-context worldbuilding and nearly breaking the 4th wall when discussing pre-colonial space exploration media. I love that Dick left the reader holding the question "is he or isn't he?" with his empathy for androids but odd Mercer experiences. Excellent read!
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I saw Blade Runner a few years ago and found it hard to follow because of the bad acting and 80's camp. This was so much better. I loved that constant positing of the existential question- what makes something human and deserving of life? That the answer was empathy was so interesting to me because it's something we lack in modern society. Additionally- the question posed by the alleged falsehood of Mercerism. Would society continue to follow a religion proven to be created by humans to create purpose and guidance? Was Rick's experience at the end real?
The contempt for other life displayed by the androids was difficult to stomach. The scene with the spider mutilation and Dick's juxtaposing the human response vs android response was tough. It also created some interesting questions about the right to life and autonomy for AI.
I loved the low-context worldbuilding and nearly breaking the 4th wall when discussing pre-colonial space exploration media. I love that Dick left the reader holding the question "is he or isn't he?" with his empathy for androids but odd Mercer experiences. Excellent read!