Philip K. Dick and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? ------------------------------------------------------------------ by Belle __Many aspects of an author's life can be seen through his or her work. This is particularly true of the well-respected science-fiction writer Philip K. Dick. During his thirty-year career, he completed 36 novels and five short story collections, the most popular of which is Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (due to the fact that the movie "Bladerunner" was based upon this story). The aforementioned novel addresses some highly complex, philosophical issues, including the nature of life and religion. By taking a look at the author's life, one can begin to make sense of this novel, as well the reasons for which it was written. __Although he was born in 1928 in Chicago, Philip K. Dick (PKD) lived most of his life in California. He suffered his first tragedy at less than two months old, when his twin sister died. Later, Mr. Dick was involved in a string of bad marriages and became heavily addicted to drugs. In the 1950's, he wrote stories for science fiction magazines and published his first novel in 1954. Over the years, periods of great creativity were followed by periods of complete abstention from writing. Nevertheless, PKD continued to write until his death in 1982. __Mr. Dick studied philosophy at the University of California at Berkeley, but ultimately decided to drop out of college and pursued his interest in philosophy on his own. His thinking was greatly influenced by the seventeenth century metaphysical poets, as well philosophers such as Spinoza, Leibnitz, and Plotinus. During his studies, PKD was introduced to the possibility of a metaphysical realm beyond the sensory world. As he himself once explained, "I came to believe that in a certain sense the empirical world was not truly real, at least not as real as the archetypal realm beyond it. Hence in novel after novel that I write I question the reality of the world that the characters' percept-systems report." (Bertrand, 1). Such questioning is evident in Do Androids, where reality is never what it seems and even the state of human existence is subject to debate. __Prior to writing this novel, Mr. Dick learned that 47,000 barrels of nuclear waste had been dumped into the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. He quickly came to the realization that the radioactive material would have implications for the future: the waste would leak into the ocean and destroy the life chain. Thus began his life-long fascination and love for animals, a concern for other living beings. Once again, one can see that PKD's personal experiences have shaped his writing. In Do Androids, a nuclear war has ravaged earth, and life in any form has become sacred. Animals are highly valued and respected. Even the Voight-Kampff empathy test seeks to determine replicant from human by asking its subject to demonstrate a concern for living things, for animals, thus suggesting that this concern is a form of "higher intelligence" a defining trait of humans that is necessary to the survival of the entire biosphere. __In short, while an examination of Mr. Dick's life does not and cannot provide all of the answers to the questions that readers may pose, it does demonstrate how the author's own emotional and psychological states have played a major role in the tone of his work. ______________________ Bertrand, Frank C. Philip K. Dick on Philosophy: A Brief Interview (January 1980): 3 pages. Online. Available: http://www.philipkdick.com/frank/pkdinter.htm.