Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

About the book

Set in a radioactive, post-apocalyptic San Francisco, the narrative follows Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter tasked with retiring six runaway Nex-7 androids. These synthetic humans have escaped Martian colonies to pass as biological people on Earth. Because nuclear fallout has made animal life nearly extinct, owning a real sheep or toad is the ultimate status symbol, defining one’s social standing and capacity for empathy. Deckard uses the Voigt-Kampff test to measure involuntary physical reactions to determine if a subject is human or a machine, while the population relies on mood organs and a collective religion called Mercerism to maintain their emotional stability.

This novel is for readers who enjoy philosophical inquiries into the definition of biological life versus artificial intelligence. It appeals to those interested in the psychological effects of environmental collapse and the moral ambiguity of law enforcement. Readers finish the book with a deeper understanding of how empathy functions as a tool for social stratification and the difficulty of distinguishing manufactured memories from authentic human experience in a world dominated by simulation.

Details

Published

1968

Language

EN