Sci-Fi Odyssey: A Tour Through the Great Works of Speculative Fiction – Philip K. Dick

Come join David White for the next installment of a salon series dedicated to exploring the themes, ideas, and world-building of science fiction. We will be exploring the world of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and exploring what it means to be human in a world of lifelike androids. We will talk about humankind’s place in the world with indistinguishable robots, the ethics of killing artificial life, and empathy in a post-apocalyptic world.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? serves a critical meditation on the nature of human experience in the face of vast tragedy. The post apocalyptic world depicted is stripped of many the natural aspects of our world but still manages to capture what is essentially human, empathy.

As our world approaches greater and greater levels of automation and complexity, we also need to contend with the nature of being human and whether our creations warrant empathy. This novel also serves to highlight the value society places on natural objects and the nature of religion and cults. As our environment becomes more “alive”, how do we distinguish between our creations and nature?

Suggested Reading/Watching:

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? – Phillip K. Dick

Bladerunner

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