25 Discussion Questions for Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick (With Analysis) | Chapterly Blog
Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is one of the foundational texts of science fiction, and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep discussion questions dig into the novel's obsessive concern with what separates the real from the artificial, the human from the machine. Whether you are in a book club, a philosophy course, or a sci-fi reading group, these questions will challenge you to think about empathy, consciousness, and the nature of authenticity. Published in 1968, the novel is set in a post-apocalyptic San Francisco where most humans have emigrated to off-world colonies and those who remain live among androids — artificial beings so sophisticated they are nearly indistinguishable from humans. Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter, is tasked with "retiring" (killing) six escaped Nexus-6 androids. The novel asks whether Deckard's ability to kill them depends on their lack of empathy — or his. These 25 questions are organized by theme. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep Discussion Questions: Empathy and Humanity Dick builds his entire moral architecture on a single premise: that empathy is what separates humans from machines. Then he spends the rest of the novel systematically undermining that premise, showing humans who lack empathy and...