Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep Summary

While the words “science fiction” often evoke images of aliens and galactic monsters in the minds of many people, these one-dimensional stereotypes do not come close to capturing the genuine essence of the genre. Science fiction is unique in its ability to think deeply and stretch the human mind to its full potential, constantly making attempts to understand and make meaning of ourselves and the world around us. Isaac Asimov went so far as to say that "Modern science fiction is the only form of literature that constantly considers the nature of the changes that face us, the possible consequences, and the possible solutions.” Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick embodies the words of Asimov, tackling the societal understandings of what it means to be human. Although through his job as a bounty hunter Rick Deckard subscribes to the popular belief that the ability to feel empathy is what distinguishes …show more content…
In doing so, the author illustrates the idea that in the highly technologically-advanced world we are moving towards, the line between humans and machines will be blurred, and that in attempting to find the one essential quality of human beings, we underestimate the complexity of the human identity. At first, the idea that humans are the only entities capable of empathy seems plausible, allowing Rick to thrive in his job as a bounty hunter because he does not see any human quality in the androids he kills. The theory that there is one distinguishing factor in humans is shown when the narrator reveals, “Empathy, evidently, existed only within the human community, whereas intelligence to some degree could be found throughout every phylum and order including the arachnid” (Dick 30). The narrator reveals that while “every phylum and