Isdore The Nature Of Humanity

On various occasions Isadore has displayed the core values of humanity based on the way in which he interacts with various living organisms, including humans. In contrast, Rick’s inability empathize with various forms of life has hindered him from getting in touch with the crucial components of being human. Humanity can be defined as one possessing sympathetic qualities and having an overall generous disposition, which contrasts to the nature of animals, since they solely depend on surviving. Although some animals may take care of their kin, the intention is to prolong their genetic makeup, which is another way to self-serve. However, humans have the capacity to care for other living and nonliving things despite a potential gain. Isadore exemplifies …show more content…
The motions of living as a human compares to the motion of pushing a rock up a hill. While everyone is burdened with the task of pushing their own rock (obstacle) up a hill they will never completely be rid of their problems, since people will continue to face new challenges. Despite the societal judgment that Isadore receives for being “special”, he comments on “kipple” in a way that connects to people and the obstacles that they will continue to deal with. During a conversation with Rachel, Isadore says, “Kipple is useless objects, like junk mail or match folders… When nobody's around kipple reproduces itself… We can’t win… Except temporarily and maybe in one spot, like in my apartment I've sort of created a stasis between the pressure of kipple and non kipple, for the time being” (Pg. 65). In this case, Isadore is truly human because he is able to live with his challenges, despite the fact that he will never win in society. This is mainly because he has managed to maintain a homeostasis between the pressure of kipple and …show more content…
In fact, Rick goes about life with the idea that if he can catch enough androids and buy enough real animals then he will eventually achieve his heart’s desires. This belief will only set him up for failure and disappointment. In contrast, Isadore’s outlook on life will leave him content with what life has to offer, which in turn reflects his humanity. Not to mention that other characters also question the morality of Risk, such as Iran. At one point she said, “You’re a murderer hired by the cops” (Pg. 4). Within the book, the fact that Rick has the ability to kill an android, which is arguably no different than a human, shows that he lacks the ethics to have compassion for other beings. Being that empathy is one of the only things that separate humans from androids there is surprisingly very little that someone has to do in order to pass the empathy test. This implies that the only thing that separates humans from androids is their ability to physical respond to certain stimulus. Subsequently, this demonstrates another way in which Rick is inhumane, being that sympathy and tolerance are an essential quality for a humane