Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is one of fiction’s most thought-provoking explorations of humanity. Beyond imagining artificial intelligence more than five decades before ChatGPT, it grapples with what it truly means to be human.

After a devastating nuclear war, Earth has deteriorated into a barren wasteland, pushing humanity to seek refuge on other planets. In this bleak future, even owning a live animal has become a rare and coveted status symbol. To encourage emigration, governments offer people a free personal android — an advanced robot indistinguishable from a human.

Some androids, however, escape back to Earth, hoping to live undetected. Law enforcement responds by hiring bounty hunters to “retire” (destroy) these rogues, even though most are nonviolent.

Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter with the San Francisco Police Department, is tasked with retiring six escaped androids that have evolved to the point where distinguishing them from humans is nearly impossible — certainty comes only after death. As Deckard hunts, the boundary between human and machine begins to blur.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep saying it: science fiction is one of the best genres for exploring deep themes and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is a great example. Dick’s story raises a central question: what does it mean to be human? How do we distinguish ourselves? In the novel, characters believe empathy is the key, but ironically, humans act far more ruthlessly than the androids. 

With the rise of artificial intelligence, these questions feel more urgent than ever. If we one day create androids that act indistinguishable from humans, how will we treat them? Will they be seen as equals or slaves? Or, because they don’t fit our current definitions of “human,” would they be considered neither? These are questions science fiction helps explore long before the technology actually arrives.

The book feels stylistically different from popular novels today. The plot is engaging enough to keep you immersed, but you often walk away thinking more about the ideas and themes than the characters themselves. I feel that’s different from many modern books, which push you to emotionally latch onto characters in order to stay hooked.

I’d still rank it among the most important science fiction novels ever published, alongside classics like 1984, Brave New World, and others you can find HERE. If you’re not in the mood to read, the movies Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049 are based on Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? — though I haven’t seen either myself.