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A review by oofym
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Whooooweee, where do I even start with this one?
What does it mean to be "Human"?
I suppose this is the question 'Do android's dream of electric sheep' is asking; and attempting to answer. Is it suffering? Is it having hopes and dreams? Trying to decide between right and wrong? Or might it be Empathy? The novel plays around with all of these ideas but in the end seems to decide on empathy being the most fundamental part of the human experience. In a way i have to agree, Suffering can be experienced by many creatures, right and wrong is always arbitrary, hopes and dreams...well what do you define as "Hope" or a "Dream"; is a dog who wants to be fed hoping?
But empathy, empathy is something different, something human. This then raises a very interesting moral question which the story certainly touches on; is a human who can't feel empathy even a "proper" human?
Psychopaths, sociopaths; are they closer to lions and tigers than to their fellow humans? What should we do with them if that's the case?
I think in the end that's what the Android vs Human dynamic serves to showcase. It begs you to ask the question: What is a human? And then it asks you to decide what you should do with your conclusion. Truly though, what right do we have to decide anything, how can we really know what is "True" or "Real"? As the story points out, every human is artificial to some extent.
What does it mean to be "Human"?
I suppose this is the question 'Do android's dream of electric sheep' is asking; and attempting to answer. Is it suffering? Is it having hopes and dreams? Trying to decide between right and wrong? Or might it be Empathy? The novel plays around with all of these ideas but in the end seems to decide on empathy being the most fundamental part of the human experience. In a way i have to agree, Suffering can be experienced by many creatures, right and wrong is always arbitrary, hopes and dreams...well what do you define as "Hope" or a "Dream"; is a dog who wants to be fed hoping?
But empathy, empathy is something different, something human. This then raises a very interesting moral question which the story certainly touches on; is a human who can't feel empathy even a "proper" human?
Psychopaths, sociopaths; are they closer to lions and tigers than to their fellow humans? What should we do with them if that's the case?
I think in the end that's what the Android vs Human dynamic serves to showcase. It begs you to ask the question: What is a human? And then it asks you to decide what you should do with your conclusion. Truly though, what right do we have to decide anything, how can we really know what is "True" or "Real"? As the story points out, every human is artificial to some extent.
"It is the basic condition of life, to be required to violate your own identity."
I loved this book, I blasted through it and on a technical level I loved the prose and overall writing style(Apart from the slight obsession with breasts). I'll certainly be reading more from the author in the future.