Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick

Author, Philip K. Dick is best known for his substantial body of work in the science fiction genre.

I became acquainted with DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP by viewing (several times) the now cult classic sci-fi film, BLADE RUNNER.

Philip K. Dick has the talent for addressing and questioning the dualities of our existence.

Born a twin, his sibling tragically died six weeks after their birth. This event and the emotional challenges of growing up in a conflicted family created the backdrop Dick's work.

He did not consider himself so much a story teller as one who utilized plots to express his ideas.

The dilemma presented in "Electric Sheep" which was translated onto the big screen in Blade Runner is:

Can androids be human?

The story explores how we humans treat species separate from ourselves. Enslaving androids who look, act and on some levels feel like humans... could this be right?

Read the story to find out.

Don't just rely on the film... "Electric Sheep" will take you on a page turning journey that veers from the script of Blade Runner.

You will see the core concepts that have influenced so many current science fiction films. TOTAL RECALL and MINORITY REPORT (starring Tom Cruise) are both based on Dick's work.

KERNEL OF WISDOM FROM THE BOOK:

"He thought too about his need for a real animal; within him an actual hatred once manifested itself towards his electric sheep, which he had to tend, had to care about, as if it lived. The tyranny of an object, he thought. It doesn't know I exist."

(p.37, Blade Runner :Do Andoids Dream of Electric Sheep, a novel by Philip K. Dick, copyright 1968)


PLOT SUMMARY: Philip K. Dick - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
STUDY GUIDE: Study Guide for Philip K. Dick: Blade Runner (1968)
FILM: Blade Runner (1982)