can for a live creature. Readers, however, have to ask whether the chickenhead, Isidore, who unquestioningly accepts everyone he meets, whether human or android, is not the better person.

Humanity, though, is determined not only by likeness to androids. The mood organs, which can predetermine any person’s sense of well-being, represent Dick’s view of humanity; even worse is watching television. Dick often introduces drugs in his fiction as a way of changing reality, but when he wants to portray addiction, he chooses television rather than drugs. The characters in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? are clearly addicted to the near-inescapable Buster Friendly Show, though it presents a repetitive and corrosive diet of trivia.

For Dick, television is a pabulum for the masses, but so is religion. Soon after Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? was published, Dick had a mystical experience of his own that affected everything he wrote thereafter. At this time, though, his views on religion had been decidedly ambiguous. The novel’s religion, Mercerism, is typical for Dick: Devotees, or adherents, watch a loop of film that shows an old man struggling to get up a hill in a bleak, featureless landscape, all the while being assailed by unseen enemies. Whenever the old man is struck and wounded by a rock thrown by these unseen enemies, watchers suffer the same wound. No sense of triumph, however, comes with the old man’s ascent of the hill, for he is instantly translated to the depths once more to begin his upward journey again. Mercerism does little but instill a sense of community and consolation in an adverse world. Nevertheless, it is considered by the androids to be the center of the human cult of empathy, and so they seek to undermine the religion through their agent Buster Friendly. Curiously, it is only after Mercerism is revealed to be a fake that it starts to have a real-world effect: Mercer appears to Deckard and aids him in his confrontation with the last three androids.

Near the story’s end, Deckard finds a toad, a creature thought to be extinct and one particularly sacred to Mercer, in a landscape curiously similar to the scene of Mercer’s ascent. When Deckard discovers that the toad is a fake, his empathy for the creature is not diminished. In a novel so filled with simulacra, the message in the end seems to be to love the fake as much as the real.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? recounts a day in the life of bounty hunter Rick Deckard. The action begins on the morning of January 3, 1992, as Deckard and his wife, Iran, wake up in their apartment; it concludes the following morning, as an exhausted Deckard returns to bed. In that twenty-four-hour period, Deckard faces the greatest challenge he has ever encountered: He must “retire” a rogue band of “organic androids” (or “andys,” as they are called) of a design so advanced that they are almost indistinguishable from human beings. His task is complicated by his attraction for another android, Rachael Rosen, who tries to prevent him from carrying out his mission.

The story is set in a gray world devastated by “World War Terminus” and the resulting radioactive fallout, which is slowly depopulating the planet. Many people have left to settle in a colony on Mars, where androids are employed for hard labor, domestic service, and other purposes. In making their escape from Mars and servitude, the rogue andys that Deckard is to retire killed a number of humans. The people who remain on Earth have witnessed the extinction of many animal species. Possession of an animal—a horse, a sheep, or even a cat—confers status; for those who cannot afford the real thing, artificial animals are available. Deckard himself has an electric sheep but greatly desires to own a living creature. That is the primary motivation in his quest: The bounty he earns of $1,000 per andy will enable him to buy a genuine animal.

Like a knight in a medieval romance, Deckard undergoes a series of trials as he retires the andys one by one. Nothing is as it first appears to be. A Soviet policeman turns out to be one of the andys in disguise. Another bounty hunter, Phil Resch, is falsely identified as an android by a San Francisco police inspector—himself an android—who hopes that Resch and Deckard will kill each other. Most mutable and devious of all is Rachael Rosen, who seduces Deckard, then calmly tells him that he will be unable to continue as a bounty hunter; no one ever has after being with her. Deckard, however, proves her wrong. Although he cannot bring himself to kill Rosen, he completes his task, retiring the last three fugitive andys after his tryst with her.

The novel ends on a note of reconciliation and domesticity. Deckard returns home to his wife. They had argued to start the day, but now Iran greets him warmly, fussing over him until he falls asleep. The last line in the book is a celebration of everyday human routine: Iran, “feeling better, fixed herself at last a cup of black, hot coffee.”

The Cold War and VietnamDo Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? depicts a world that has endured a nuclear catastrophe, a scenario that appeared quite plausible in the 1960s. Following the conclusion of World War II, after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, the Soviet Union began developing its own nuclear capabilities. Many Americans perceived the spread of Soviet Communism as the nation's most significant threat, leading to a prolonged "Cold War" with the Soviets throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Although the two superpowers never engaged in direct combat, they came dangerously close in 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis, when the U.S. confronted the Soviets over their missile installations in Cuba. By the late 1960s, both nations possessed enough nuclear weapons to obliterate each other—and the entire planet—multiple times over. The Cuban Missile Crisis highlighted the dire consequences of a nuclear confrontation, emphasizing that it would only result in Mutual Assured Destruction. By 1968, U.S.-Soviet relations had improved to the extent that several treaties were signed, including a 1967 agreement prohibiting the militarization of space. Despite these advancements, some pessimists continued to fear that total nuclear annihilation could be triggered by a single button press.

America's participation in the Vietnam War, although devoid of nuclear weapons, represented another battleground in the Cold War against communism. Since the 1950s, the United States had been sending military advisors to support the South Vietnamese government, which was battling communist insurgents. The U.S. feared that if Vietnam succumbed to communism, the rest of Southeast Asia would follow suit. By 1968, U.S. military involvement had escalated to include over half a million American soldiers in Vietnam. However, the war effort struggled to eliminate the communist forces. The Tet Offensive, launched by the North Vietnamese at the end of January 1968, caught the South Vietnamese and their U.S. allies off guard. This offensive further humiliated the United States, and the war became increasingly unpopular as public confidence in its success waned. In March of that year, although unknown to the American public for twenty months, U.S. soldiers committed the infamous My Lai massacre. In search of enemy combatants, American troops entered a village, rounded up hundreds of inhabitants—men, women, children, young and old—and executed them all.

A World of Political Unrest
As U.S. involvement in Vietnam intensified, so did public opposition. Many questioned the effectiveness and morality of sending American troops to fight in another nation's civil war. Thousands of Americans, especially students, protested the war, often clashing with police. The 1968 presidential election became a focal point for these confrontations. In August, the Democratic Party convention in Chicago became a prime venue for antiwar protests. About ten thousand demonstrators responded to calls from activists like David Dellinger, Rennie Davis, Thomas E. Hayden, and radical "Yippies" Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin. To maintain order, Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley deployed 16,000 city police officers, 4,000 state police, and 4,000 National Guardsmen, all armed with tear gas, grenades, nightsticks, and firearms. The police used force, including clubbing and gassing both demonstrators and bystanders, to prevent the protests from escalating. The "Chicago Seven"—Dellinger, Davis, Hayden, Hoffman, Rubin, and Black Panther leader Bobby Seale—were convicted of violating a federal anti-riot law, but their convictions were later overturned.

The late 1960s were marked by conflict, confusion, and moral uncertainty, with demonstrations not limited to antiwar causes or even to the United States. People around the globe peacefully protested for a better world. The year 1968 was particularly violent worldwide, as leaders' efforts to inspire movements for equal rights, justice, and peace gained momentum. Mass protests took place from San Francisco to Mexico City, Chicago to Memphis, and even in France and Czechoslovakia. People began protesting the unequal distribution of wealth, often met with government force. This adds a layer of irony to Dick's character J. R. Isidore's statement, "B-b-because things like that don't happen. The g-g-government never kills anyone, for any crime."

In April 1968, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, several months after FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover ordered the shutdown of "Black Nationalist hate-Groups." Racial riots erupted nationwide, prompting Chicago's Mayor Daley to issue a "shoot to kill" order to curb the violence. Nationwide, 46 people died and 21,270 were arrested. At Columbia University, students shut down their campus to protest the construction of a gymnasium, which displaced affordable housing in the area; police stormed the campus, arresting 628 individuals. In France, student protests sparked a revolution in the university system, events still discussed in French academia. Meanwhile, the Soviets crushed a revolution in Czechoslovakia with an occupation army of 650,000 and strict censorship. In the fall of 1968, Mexico City police opened fire on student demonstrators in Tlatelolco Square. Officials reported forty deaths, although other observers estimated the number to be as high as seven hundred.

The Growth of Environmentalism
In the 1960s, awareness of environmental issues and the necessity for protection grew significantly. Rachel Carson's seminal book, Silent Spring, published in 1962, warned Americans about the potential hazards of industrial pollution. This pivotal work inspired environmentally conscious citizens to establish the Environmental Defense Fund, which advocated for the formation of a federal agency dedicated to safeguarding the environment. Although the Environmental Protection Agency wasn't established until 1970, Congress still addressed numerous environmental concerns in 1968. They approved the creation of two new national parks: North Cascades National Park, encompassing 505,000 acres, and Redwood National Park, which included 58,000 acres along forty miles of the Pacific Coast and housed the world's tallest tree. In 1968, Congress also released a report officially declaring Lake Erie, one of the Great Lakes, "dead" due to severe pollution. Additional alarming reports emerged that year. Enzyme detergents produced by various companies were found to cause issues in the U.S. water and sewage systems. The Coast Guard reported 714 major oil spills, almost double the number from previous years. Consequently, fish kills, a phenomenon typically associated with spring thaw when pollutants are most concentrated, were estimated to have increased to fifteen million fish. Many experts warned of impending environmental catastrophe, akin to the one depicted in Philip K. Dick's novel.

Medicine and Health in the 1960s
In Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, a class of humans with physical and mental deficiencies arises due to nuclear fallout. Similarly, in 1968, a comparable subclass seemed to be emerging due to unequal resource distribution. Many individuals, particularly children, suffered from malnutrition despite significant increases in global food production. For instance, India's food minister, Chidambara Subramanian, estimated that 35 to 40 percent of children in his country experienced brain damage due to protein deficiency. In the United States, nutrition researcher Arnold E. Schaefer was shocked by the vitamin A deficiency he found in certain schools, prompting him to remark that low-income children might go blind "five minutes from now or a year from now." Meanwhile, a Citizens Board revealed that federal food aid programs only reached 18 percent of the nation's poor.

On the other hand, medical advancements promised longer and healthier lives. In late 1967, Dr. Christiaan Barnard performed the first successful human heart transplant in Cape Town, South Africa. A few months later, Dr. Denton A. Cooley replicated this success in the United States. These developments sparked intense discussions about organ replacement and the sanctity of the human body. They also provided rich material for science fiction writers, who explored themes of androids, cybernetic prostheses, and the loss of identity associated with the mechanization of the body.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? depicts a world that has endured a nuclear apocalypse, a scenario that seemed quite plausible during the 1960s. After the conclusion of World War II, when the United States dropped atomic bombs on Japan, the Soviet Union began developing its own nuclear weapons. Many Americans perceived the expansion of Soviet Communism as the nation's greatest threat, leading to a "Cold War" with the Soviets throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Although the two superpowers never directly clashed in battle, they came perilously close in 1962 when the United States confronted the Soviets over the installation of missiles in Cuba. By the late 1960s, both nations possessed enough nuclear missiles to annihilate each other—and the entire planet—multiple times over. The Cuban Missile Crisis, however, demonstrated to both sides that a nuclear showdown must be avoided at all costs, as it would result in Mutual Assured Destruction. By 1968, U.S.-Soviet relations had improved to the extent that several treaties were signed, including a 1967 agreement that banned the military use of space. Nonetheless, pessimists remained concerned that complete nuclear annihilation could be triggered with a single button press.

Narrative/Point of ViewDo Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is told from a third-person perspective, referring to characters as "he" or "she." The narrator is trustworthy but not all-knowing. Unless a character verbalizes their thoughts, they remain hidden. The narration is primarily focused on Rick Deckard and J. R. Isidore, with a brief exception for Iran at the novel's conclusion. The narrator is well-versed in the future society's world, explaining Isidore's condition and the significance of the Rosen Association. However, the narrator is not infallible, and at times, readers must simply accept the story as presented. For instance, Deckard's job is depicted as extremely challenging, especially with the new Nexus-6 androids. Yet, he easily retires Pris, and even the "most dangerous" android, Roy, poses no significant threat. Mercer's intervention to help Deckard with Pris is a rather clumsy example of "deus ex machina" (literally, "god out of a machine"), where an external force gratuitously aids the hero.

Science Fiction
A fundamental aspect of this genre is its incorporation of science in some manner. Additionally, it often explores the impact of real or imagined science on individuals or society. Beyond these core principles, the genre is quite flexible, spanning from the fantastical (e.g., "Star Wars" or "Dune") to the more everyday (e.g., "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids").

Another common, though not essential, element of science fiction is social criticism. This trait is inherited from earlier writers who satirized their own times by exaggerating their society in a different setting. A well-known example is Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels. If Swift were writing two centuries later, it's easy to imagine Gulliver's boat being a spaceship. In other words, storytellers often find it easier to critique their own times by placing their stories in a fantasy world or otherworldly setting.

Dick is clearly a science fiction writer, incorporating hovercrafts, space colonies, androids, lasers, and sine wave disruptors. He also follows the familiar science fiction trope of a post-nuclear holocaust Earth. While the concept of Earth after a total war is not new, the complexities of survival after a nuclear conflict have fueled much speculation. Dick envisions a world where life continues, although society would impose caste-like distinctions for the greater good. Furthermore, evolution would hinge on the advancement of biotechnologies and the acceptance of their byproducts as authentic.

Detective Story
Detective stories originated with Edgar Allan Poe's "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" (1841) and came into their own with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes series. Typically, a detective story involves a crime that the investigator must solve. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? offers a unique twist on this genre. Androids have committed a crime (murder), and Deckard is tasked with hunting them down and "retiring" them, as required by law. As the story unfolds, Deckard begins to question the ethics of enforcing this law. The test that determines an android's fate strips them of their right to be a productive entity. Despite failing the test, Luba Luft, for instance, was capable of appreciating and participating in human activities like art.

From the beginning, the reader is aware of the identities of the rogue constructs, and it is clear that Rick Deckard, the bounty hunter, is the enforcer of justice. However, this is no ordinary mission. These androids are collaborating with their creators to gain legal recognition. Deckard's role becomes morally ambiguous as he exposes them as fugitives and denies them their rights. In some cases, he doesn't even get the chance to test the most advanced androids because they attack him first. While Deckard resolves the "case," he does not address the larger issue of whether these advanced androids deserve a change in their legal status.

Anti-hero
An anti-hero is a main character who lacks traditional heroic qualities such as exceptional bravery, strength, or morality. Often, he is an outsider struggling to accept societal norms. Rick Deckard is an ordinary man without extraordinary skills or strength. He is merely a backup bounty hunter with an unfulfilled wife, an electric sheep, and significant doubts about his career suitability. These shortcomings make him relatable to the reader, who can sympathize with his situation and support him. Moreover, Deckard's moral uncertainties about his job, in contrast to Phil Resch's indifferent attitude, highlight a level of empathy that borders on heroism. Despite this, Deckard's "heroic" final showdown with Roy Baty, which should be the climax of the book, is depicted as rather mundane. Unlike a true hero who would achieve his greatest desire, Deckard ends up with a dead goat and a fake toad. He also believes he has merged with Mercer, but it turns out to be an illusion caused by exhaustion. By presenting Deckard's accomplishments and rewards as less than heroic, Dick appears to suggest that perhaps this is the best one can achieve in such anti-heroic times.

The 1960s, the decade when Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? was released, were characterized by conflict, confusion, and moral uncertainty. Demonstrations erupted to protest the Vietnam War, civil rights issues, and various social causes. Globally, people peacefully rallied for a better world. By the late 1960s, protests against the unfair distribution of wealth grew, and governments often responded with force. In April 1968, civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, sparking nationwide racial riots. In response, Chicago's Mayor Daley issued a "shoot to kill" order to quell the rioters. This unrest resulted in forty-six deaths and 21,270 arrests across the nation. That same year, the Soviets crushed a revolution in Czechoslovakia with an occupying army of 650,000 and strict censorship. In the fall of 1968, Mexican police fired on student demonstrators in Tlatelolco Square, with officials reporting forty deaths, although some observers estimated as many as seven hundred. This context adds irony to a statement by Dick's character J. R. Isidore, who refuses to believe in bounty hunters, saying, "B-b-because things like that don't happen. The g-g-government never kills anyone, for any crime."

During the 1960s, awareness of environmental issues and the need for protection grew significantly. In 1962, Rachel Carson published her seminal book Silent Spring, which warned Americans about the dangers of industrial pollution. This work inspired environmentally conscious Americans to form the Environmental Defense Fund, which lobbied for a federal agency to safeguard the environment. Although the Environmental Protection Agency was not established until 1970, Congress still addressed numerous environmental concerns during the 1960s. They approved two new national parks: North Cascades National Park, which preserved 505,000 acres, and Redwood National Park, which protected 58,000 acres along forty miles of the Pacific Coast, including the world's tallest tree. In 1968, Congress released a report declaring Lake Erie, one of the Great Lakes, dead due to pollution. Other troubling reports surfaced that year; enzyme detergents from various companies were causing issues in American water and sewage systems, and the Coast Guard reported 714 major oil spills, nearly double the previous years' numbers. Consequently, fish kills, typically associated with spring thaw when pollutants are most concentrated, were estimated to have increased to fifteen million. Many warned of impending environmental disasters, echoing the themes in Dick's novel.

In "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?", a class of humans with physical and mental deficiencies emerges due to nuclear fallout. Similarly, during the 1960s, a comparable subclass seemed to be forming due to the unequal distribution of resources. Despite significant increases in global food production, many individuals, particularly children, faced malnutrition. For instance, India's food minister, Chidambara Subramaniam, estimated that between 35 and 40 percent of children in his country suffered brain damage from protein deficiency. In the United States, nutrition researcher Arnold E. Schaefer was alarmed by the vitamin A deficiency he found in certain schools, leading him to remark that low-income children he studied might lose their sight "five minutes from now or a year from now." Additionally, a Citizens Board discovered that federal food aid programs reached only 18 percent of the nation's impoverished population.

Conversely, medical advancements appeared to offer the promise of longer and healthier lives. In late 1967, Dr. Christiaan Barnard performed the first successful human heart transplant in Cape Town, South Africa. A few months later, Dr. Denton A. Cooley achieved a similar success in the United States. These developments fueled intense discussions about organ replacement and the sanctity of the human body. They also provided rich material for science fiction writers, who delved into themes of androids, cybernetic prostheses, and the loss of identity associated with the mechanization of the human form.

• 1968: The Americans are in a space race with the Soviets, aiming to reach the moon. Many foresee moon colonies and interplanetary travel.

  Late 1990s: The Americans and Russians are collaborating on an international space station. Discussions about returning to the moon have emerged due to the discovery of ice crystals at the lunar poles. Some hope that a lunar mission will be the initial step toward colonizing Mars.

• 1968: The economies of the Pacific Rim are thriving, with Japan surpassing West Germany to become the world's second-largest economy, behind the United States.

  Late 1990s: The Pacific Rim faces a financial crisis, with Japanese financial institutions struggling to avoid bankruptcy after a decade of overexpansion. The "Asian Contagion" sparks fears of a global financial meltdown.

• 1968: Amphibians appear to be doing well, although more fish are dying due to industrial pollution.

  Late 1990s: Amphibians are vanishing at a concerning rate. High-altitude frogs and desert toads are appearing deformed and dead in unprecedented numbers. The causes include increased ultraviolet light, fungal infections, polluted water, and new predators. Meanwhile, "fish kills" refer to frequent incidents where streams are depopulated due to chemical dumping. Overfishing also threatens fish populations, leaving the North Sea "fished out."

• 1968: Reproductive rights become a contentious issue as Britain legalizes abortion and Pope Paul VI denounces artificial birth control in his encyclical Humanae Vitae.

  Late 1990s: Reproductive rights remain a hot topic, but the cloning of a Scottish sheep named "Dolly" has intensified the debate. Human cloning bans have been established, though rogue scientists claim it's only a matter of time. Clones, rather than androids, challenge some people's perceptions of human uniqueness.

• The novel was turned into the film Blade Runner in 1982. Directed by Ridley Scott, the movie features Harrison Ford as Rick Deckard, a retired bounty hunter, or blade runner, who is called back for one last mission. While the film captures the novel's atmosphere, it diverges from the original plot—this time, the protagonist ends up with the girl. The movie has since gained a massive cult following.
• Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? was released as an Audio Cassettes edition in August 1994 by Time Warner Audio Books.

Dick, Philip K. "Notes on Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968)." The Shifting Realities of Philip K. Dick. Pantheon Books, 1995, pp. 155-61. This piece presents Dick's thoughts on how his book could be transformed into a film.

Ford, Kenneth M.; Glymour, Clark; and Hayes, Patrick J., editors. Android Epistemology. MIT Press, 1995. This book provides an excellent overview of current android technology and its future trajectory.

Freedman, Carl. "Towards a Theory of Paranoia: The Science Fiction of Philip K. Dick." Science-Fiction Studies (March 1984): 15-22. This academic work analyzes characters from several of Dick's novels, including Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, to develop a theory regarding the human condition that is consistent across Dick's writings.

Huntington, John. "Philip K. Dick: Authenticity and Insincerity." Science-Fiction Studies (July 1988): 152-60. One of the primary questions in Dick's works, particularly in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, is what defines reality. Huntington reviews Dick's writings and explores this question, though the answer remains unresolved.

Pierce, Hazel. "Philip K. Dick's Political Dreams." Philip K. Dick, edited by Martin Harry Greenberg and Joseph D. Olander. Taplinger Publishing Co., 1983, pp. 105-35. This essay, part of a notable collection about the author, explores why readers both appreciate and criticize Dick's work.

Sutin, Lawrence. Divine Invasion: A Life of Philip K. Dick. Harmony Books, 1989. This biography delves into the real-life inspirations behind the characters and events in Dick's novels.

Warrick, Patricia S. Mind in Motion: The Fiction of Philip K. Dick. Southern Illinois University Press, 1987. This source investigates the moral themes in Dick's works, with a particular focus on his unique use of the concept of "empathy."

Sources
Dick, Philip K. Afterword to The Golden Man. Berkley Publishing, 1980.

Le Guin, Ursula K. "Science Fiction as Prophecy," in The New Republic, Vol. 175, No. 18, October 30, 1976, pp. 33-34.

Scholes, Robert, and Eric S. Rabkin. Science Fiction: History, Science, Vision. Oxford University Press, 1977, pp. 71-75, 180.

Strick, Philip. "The Age of the Replicant," in Sight & Sound, Vol. 5, No. 3, Summer, 1982, pp. 168-172.

Taylor, Angus. Philip K. Dick and the Umbrella of Light. T-K Graphics, 1975, p. 52.

Warrick, Patricia S. "The Labyrinthian Process of the Artificial: Philip K. Dick's Androids and Mechanical Constructs," in Philip K. Dick, edited by Joseph D. Olander and Martin Harry Greenberg. Taplinger Publishing Company, 1983, pp. 189-214.

For Further Study
Dick, Philip K. "Notes on Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968)," in The Shifting Realities of Philip K. Dick. Pantheon Books, 1995, pp. 155-161. This section covers Dick's initial thoughts after the book's release on adapting it for film.

Ford, Kenneth M., Clark Glymour, and Patrick J. Hayes, eds. Android Epistemology. MIT Press, 1995. This book provides an excellent overview of current android technology and future directions.

Freedman, Carl. "Towards a Theory of Paranoia: The Science Fiction of Philip K. Dick," in Science-Fiction Studies, Volume 11, No. 1, March 1984, pp. 15-22. This academic article analyzes characters from several of Dick's novels, including Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, to develop a theory of the human condition consistent throughout his works.

Huntington, John. "Philip K. Dick: Authenticity and Insincerity," in Science-Fiction Studies, Volume 15, No. 2, July 1988, pp. 152-60. A central theme in Dick's works, especially in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, is the nature of reality. Huntington reviews Dick's works to explore this question, though the answer remains open-ended.

Pierce, Hazel. "Philip K. Dick's Political Dreams," in Philip K. Dick, edited by Martin Harry Greenberg and Joseph D. Olander. Taplinger Publishing Co., 1983, pp. 105-135. This essay, part of a notable collection about the author, explores why readers are drawn to or repelled by Dick's writings.

Sutin, Lawrence. Divine Invasion: A Life of Philip K. Dick. Harmony Books, 1989. This biography delves into the real-life inspirations behind the characters and events in Dick's novels.

Warrick, Patricia S. Mind in Motion: The Fiction of Philip K. Dick. Southern Illinois University Press, 1987. This work examines the ethical dimensions in Dick's literature, with a particular focus on his unique treatment of "empathy."