Trystan Casey
'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?' is a 1968 dystopian science fiction novel by American writer Philip K. Dick. The novel is set in a post-apocalyptic San Francisco, where Earth's life has been damaged by a nuclear global war. The story follows Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter tasked with retiring (i.e. killing) escaped androids. The novel explores themes of humanity, empathy, and the increasing artificiality of our world, blurring the lines between what is real and fake. Despite its initial lack of commercial success, the novel is now considered a classic of modern science fiction and has spawned several authorised sequels and a popular film adaptation, 'Blade Runner'.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Author | Philip K. Dick |
| Year of Publication | 1968 |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Setting | Post-apocalyptic San Francisco |
| Main Character | Rick Deckard |
| Main Character's Profession | Bounty hunter |
| Secondary Character | John Isidore |
| Secondary Character's Profession | N/A |
| Plot | Rick Deckard has to "retire" (kill) six escaped Nexus-6 model androids |
| Film Adaptation | Blade Runner (1982) |
| Film Adaptation Director | Scott |
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![By Philip K. Dick - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (2012-02-16) [Paperback]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51s+NVQ6atL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
What You'll Learn
- The novel's central theme is the nature of humanity and what makes humans unique
- The book's main character, Rick Deckard, is a bounty hunter who kills escaped androids
- The story is set in a post-apocalyptic, dystopian San Francisco, following a global nuclear war
- The novel explores the quasi-religious undertones of persuasion and lived experience through Mercerism
- The book's title refers to Deckard's neglect of his electric sheep, a source of shame for him
The novel's central theme is the nature of humanity and what makes humans unique
The central theme of Philip K. Dick's 1968 novel, "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?", is the nature of humanity and what makes humans unique. The novel is set in a post-apocalyptic future where Earth has been devastated by a global nuclear war, and most animal species are endangered or extinct. This setting serves as a backdrop to explore the question of what it means to be human.
The main character, Rick Deckard, is a bounty hunter tasked with "retiring" (killing) escaped androids. These androids, known as "replicants," are designed to be "more human than human" and serve as slaves to the wealthy colonists who have fled to off-world colonies on Mars and elsewhere. The androids' lack of empathy is often cited as a key distinction between them and humans, with Deckard himself exhibiting a machine-like lack of empathy towards his prey. However, as the novel progresses, Deckard's growing ethical confusion about killing the replicants highlights the complexity of the human-android dichotomy.
The concept of Mercerism, a quasi-religious movement in the novel, further explores the theme of humanity. Mercerism is based on the idea of shared suffering and empathy, and it is notable that replicants are prohibited from practising it. This exclusion suggests that empathy and the ability to connect with others may be a defining characteristic of humanity. However, the novel also presents examples of humans lacking empathy, blurring the lines between humans and androids.
The title of the novel itself, "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?", hints at the exploration of humanity. In the story, owning a live animal is a status symbol, and Deckard owns an electric sheep, a fake animal, to hide the fact that his real sheep died. This artificial creation serves as a source of shame for Deckard, suggesting that even androids dream of possessing something real and alive, blurring the boundaries of what it means to be human or android.
Throughout the novel, Dick challenges the reader to question the nature of humanity and what truly sets humans apart from androids. The novel suggests that it may not be as simple as empathy, as both humans and androids exhibit a range of empathetic and unempathetic behaviours. "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" invites readers to consider the complexities of what makes us human and the potential dangers of a world where the lines between humans and machines are increasingly blurred.
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The book's main character, Rick Deckard, is a bounty hunter who kills escaped androids
The book's main character, Rick Deckard, is a bounty hunter who has to "retire" (i.e. kill) six escaped Nexus-6 model androids. These androids are known as "replicants" and are designed to be "more human than human," serving as de facto slaves to those who have escaped Earth for off-world colonies. Deckard's machine-like lack of empathy for his prey is fundamental to the novel's distinction between humans and replicants, and it raises the question of whether Deckard himself may be a replicant.
Deckard's growing ethical confusion about killing the replicants is highlighted by the book's exploration of the quasi-religious undertones of persuasion and vicarious lived experience. The religion of Mercerism, from which replicants are prohibited, is a typical invention of author Philip K. Dick. Deckard rarely engages with Mercerism via the empathy box, as it doesn't work on him. However, he eventually comes to understand Iran, his wife, only after experiencing first-hand what she goes through.
Deckard's character is central to the novel's questioning of the nature of humanity. The androids' lack of empathy, particularly in relation to the care of animals, is a recurring theme. Deckard's own neglect of his electric sheep, a source of intense shame for him, further blurs the line between human and android. The novel suggests that it is ultimately futile to try to distinguish real from fake and that it is mankind's capacity for empathy that is important, regardless of whether it is directed towards humans or animals.
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The story is set in a post-apocalyptic, dystopian San Francisco, following a global nuclear war
The 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick is set in a post-apocalyptic, dystopian San Francisco following a global nuclear war, or World War Terminus, that has rendered Earth's atmosphere highly radioactive. The story takes place in a futuristic 1992 (2021 in later editions) and centres around Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter tasked with "retiring" (i.e. killing) six escaped Nexus-6 model androids. These androids are designed to be "more human than human" and serve as slaves to those who have escaped Earth for off-world colonies on Mars and elsewhere.
In this future Earth, most animal species are endangered or extinct due to radioactive dust, and owning a live animal has become a status symbol. Deckard himself owns an electric sheep, an artificial creation that he tries to hide from his neighbours. The novel explores themes of empathy, with androids portrayed as lacking empathy for animals and each other, and the question of what it means to be human. Deckard's own lack of empathy for his prey blurs the line between human and replicant, leading to speculation that he may be one of the androids he hunts.
The novel also introduces the religion of Mercerism, from which replicants are prohibited. Mercer is a false idol, and the novel questions the viability of reality, leaving the interpretation of Deckard's true nature ambiguous. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? has been analysed in relation to Dick's other works, as well as his 1972 speech, "The Human and the Android", in which he discusses the increasing sentience of technological creations.
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The novel explores the quasi-religious undertones of persuasion and lived experience through Mercerism
The 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick explores the quasi-religious undertones of persuasion and lived experience through Mercerism. Set in a post-apocalyptic San Francisco, the novel follows Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter tasked with "retiring" (i.e., killing) escaped androids. The androids in the novel are designed to be "more human than human" and serve as slaves to those who have escaped Earth after it was ravaged by nuclear war.
Mercerism, a religion invented by Dick, is central to the novel's exploration of the quasi-religious undertones of persuasion and lived experience. Mercerism involves the use of an "empathy box," which allows celebrants to experience the suffering of Mercer, a false idol. While Deckard rarely engages with Mercerism, his understanding of Iran, his wife, only comes after he has experienced what she goes through. This highlights the novel's focus on the lived experience of others and the role of empathy in connecting with them.
The novel also explores the quasi-religious undertones of persuasion through Mercerism. Mercerism is a form of persuasion that the androids are prohibited from practising. Despite Mercer being a false idol, his followers remain devoted, suggesting that the "fakeness" of the religion does not matter to them. This dynamic between the followers and Mercer blurs the lines between what is real and what is not, a recurring theme in the novel.
Furthermore, the novel questions what it means to be human by highlighting the lack of empathy in androids. Deckard's machine-like lack of empathy for his prey is fundamental to Dick's distinction between humans and androids. However, the novel also acknowledges that not all humans exhibit empathy, as seen through Deckard's distaste for Iran and Sloat's bullying of Isidore. This ambiguity between humans and androids is further emphasised by the potential epiphany that Deckard is Mercer, raising questions about the nature of reality and the self.
Through Mercerism, Dick explores the quasi-religious undertones of persuasion and lived experience in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. The novel highlights the importance of empathy in connecting with others and questions the viability of reality, leaving readers with much to ponder long after they finish the book.
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The book's title refers to Deckard's neglect of his electric sheep, a source of shame for him
In the novel, Rick Deckard is a bounty hunter who has to "retire" (i.e. kill) six escaped Nexus-6 model androids. Deckard hopes that this mission will earn him enough money to buy a live animal to replace his lone electric sheep. The sheep, which died of tetanus, was replaced by an electric replica to maintain the illusion of animal ownership. Owning and caring for an animal is considered a civic virtue and a status symbol, depending on the rarity of the species. Deckard's electric sheep is a source of shame for him, and he goes to great lengths to hide its true nature from his neighbour.
Deckard's growing ethical confusion about killing the replicants is highlighted by the book's extension into the quasi-religious undertones of persuasion and vicarious lived experience. The religion of Mercerism—from which replicants are prohibited—is a typical Dick invention. Mercer is a false idol, and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? not only asks what it means to be human, as Deckard realizes that “the electric things have their lives, too”, but it also, in an expression of Dick’s philosophy, questions the viability of reality itself.
Deckard’s machine-like lack of empathy for his prey is fundamental to Dick’s distinction between human and replicant, and it suggests the much-debated question of whether Deckard himself may be one of the replicants he hunts. The central idea behind the book is that "androids don't feel empathy and that makes them different from humans". However, Deckard's lack of empathy also extends to his personal relationships, as he doesn't seem to like other people, including his wife.
The title of the novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, is a reference to Deckard's neglect of his electric sheep, which is a source of shame for him. The sheep represents the artificiality of the distinctions that have been used in American culture to exclude animals and "animalized" humans from ethical consideration.
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Frequently asked questions
The novel is set in a post-apocalyptic San Francisco, where Earth's life has been greatly damaged by a nuclear global war. The plot follows Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter who has to kill six escaped Nexus-6 model androids. The novel questions the nature of humanity and asks what it means to be human.
The central idea is that androids don't feel empathy, which makes them different from humans. The book explores whether empathy is what makes humans unique, as there are also humans that lack empathy.
The 1982 film 'Blade Runner' is based on the novel. While some aspects of the novel were changed, many elements and themes from it were used in the film's 2017 sequel 'Blade Runner 2049'.
The "electric sheep" in the title refers to an artificial creation that dies due to Deckard's neglect, causing him shame. It highlights the idea that androids are "fake humans" and electric pets are "fake animals".
In addition to questioning the nature of humanity, the novel explores the increasing artificiality and potential sentience of technology, the viability of reality, and the role of religion and empathy in defining humanity.
