Ahead of the Blu-Ray release of Blade Runner in 2007, Mosaic published an article by Dr. Sherryl Vint titled Speciesism and Species-Being in “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep.” The 1968 novel by Philip Dick was the basis for the dystopic future shown in Ridley Scott’s 1982 thriller. The story follows Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter in the year 2021 as he attempts to retire six escaped androids. The article deals primarily with the relationship between the treatment of animals and androids in Electric Sheep. There are themes within the novel that primarily deal with the evolution of life and the question, what makes a lifeform alive? Dr. Vint suggests that these underlying elements are best understood through analyzing their relationship to the philosophical ideologies of Karl Marx.
Dr. Vint immediately establishes credibility by showcasing her extensive knowledge on Electric Sheep. She uses many passages from the novel to demonstrate her main points, often unveiling subliminal messages that usually go unnoticed. In addition, she received her doctorate from the University of Alberta, and is on faculty at the University of California at Riverside. Her research has primarily focused on the effects of science fiction on the technological development of the human race.
The intended audience of this article, are those who are already familiar with Electric Sheep and are looking to dive deeper into the novels messages. Regardless, the article does a terrific job of explaining the elements of the novel for those new to the world of Blade Runner. This article opens the door for discourse on biopolitics within the literature community. This is likely due to Dr. Vint’s large body of published works which are focused on the topic of biopolitics.
The article spends the bulk of it’s time comparing Marx’s species-being to the situations within the novel. This focus is stated early on:
I want to focus attention on an aspect of the original text neglected in both the film adaption and criticism: the importance of animals, both electric and real. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? develops it ideas about being human through two comparisons: animals and androids (Vint 1).
The pathos of Dr. Vint’s article is seen in two places. First, she points out that the animals still alive in the story are no more than a commodity being traded. Despite the supposed reverence shown towards the animals, humans are seemingly unable to connect to them emotionally. Rather, they take in animals because of the commodity fetishism in their society (2). This appeals to the reader on an emotional level, as our culture generally does not see animals as a mere token of wealth, but as something to love and care for.
Secondly, the androids are being hunted and seen as a lower form of life by humanity. In the story, androids take the place historically occupied the animal kingdom (Vint 3). During one particular scene in the novel, Deckard begins to develop an emotional attachment to an android he is about to retire. This is far from the social norm, as androids have been outlawed on earth for years. However, when he sees her talent, he begins to doubt himself, not only as a bounty hunter, but as a human, due to his newfound empathy for something that is not real. According to Dr. Vint this event helps Deckard grow closer to “getting his faith back, when he chose a social, rather than commodity relationship with Luba, and until he . . . interact[s] with animals as something other than commodities, [they] will not be able to heal him”(8).
To understand Dr. Vint’s logos, a clear understanding of species-being is needed. In The German Ideology, Marx explains the species-being concept: “Because [man] is a conscious being, [he] makes his life activity, his essential being, a mere means for his existence.” Essentially, species-being is the mindset of man being one with nature, as opposed to its master. Dr. Vint reasons that the former mindset is healthier: “humanity loses something when it relates to nature in this abstract way, as, in reality, nature is part of us, not something separate”(6).
Speciesism and Species-Being in “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” was an in depth look at the classic sci-fi prose by Philip K. Dick. Reading it brings enlightenment to many undertones present within the novel. In the climax of the novel, Deckard finds a toad in the wilderness outside of San Francisco. Ecstatic about his discovery of the thought to be extinct species, Deckard races home. When he arrives, he immediately shows the creature to his wife. Within seconds however, she points out the tiny control panel, revealing it to be an electric animal. Despite this disappointing knowledge, Deckard decides to care for the electric toad as though it were real, effectively breaking the bonds of his society's commodity fetishism.
Dr. Vint believes the main theme of the novel to be Deckard’s reconnection with his species-being. In a strange paradox, the religion he practices reveres life, but not the artificial lifeforms created by the humans. In the end, Deckard moves on from this trivial societal mindset, finally connecting to nature on an emotional level. In doing so, he is able to regard life as being life, regardless of the form it takes. “Just as the novel warns us of the risk of becoming android like, it also points to the risk of becoming only animal-like in our in our existence”(Vint 10).
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