2. How do you think John R. Isidore felt around the Androids?
3. Do you agree with Deckard "You androids, don't exactly cover for each other in times of stress."
4. What is your initial impression of Deckard? How does his personality compare to our policemen?
5. Who can Wilbur Mercer be compared to today?
6. Would John R. Isidore fit into our world today? Or would he be treated the same as he was in the book?
7. Which character displayed the most change in beliefs since the beginning of the book?
8. Is Mr.Sloat supporting Isidore or trying to put him down?
9. In chapter 16, were Deckard's actions towards Rachel considered sinful?
10. Phil Resch said if he was an android he would kill himself. How believable is this statement based on his actions?
****Bonus****
11. Do you believe that androids dream of electric sheep?
Below are the characters in the movie.
1. Should androids ethically be regarded as humans?
ReplyDeleteNo, I don't think, ethically, that androids should be regarded as humans. An important part of being human is feeling empathy, and it is a fact that androids don't feel emotions. Where a human would make their own thoughts based on their feelings towards a certain situation, Androids only have prerecorded emotions. All in all, no, they should not be ethically regarded as humans because they are not humans, they are manufactured by humans.
6- I believe that John Isidore would definitely fit in much better in today’s society over the society in the book. Firstly, society in the book seems to have very black and white rules as what is accepted and what is not. It is made very clear that anyone with a high level of radiation and a low IQ would not be treated the same way as others. These two factors would have you labelled as a ‘chickenhead’ and a ‘special’ and you would immediately not be allowed to reproduce, marry, or emigrate from earth which is very harsh. You would also be looked down upon by society. In today’s world however, people are much more accepting and the majority of people would not look down upon anyone anymore. Secondly, today’s world offers many more opportunities for people with disabilities. In the book, it seemed like the only job Isidore could find was the one that he had. Overall any special would have a very difficult time finding a job in that society. In today’s society however, there is much more opportunity to find good jobs no matter what your circumstances are. Therefore, that is why I believe John Isidore would fit in better in today’s society.
ReplyDelete9- I believe that Deckard’s actions towards Rachael were sinful but not to the extent that it may seem. Firstly, Deckard is married so having feelings for someone else, even if it isn’t human, is wrong. Secondly, Deckard tried to pretend that Rachael was a human but at the end of the book, he did not show any regret over his actions whatsoever. I think this shows irresponsibility because his wife had no clue what had happened. However, I also believe that humans making love to androids are a common occurrence in the book. In chapter sixteen, when Rachael says “have you ever made love to an android before”, it sounds as though these types of things are common in their society. She also says that other people have told her to try and pretend the android is a human when making love, which further proves my point. This ultimately makes his actions less sinful in my opinion, but the fact that he showed feelings toward her, treated her like a human, and didn’t tell his wife afterwards makes his actions somewhat sinful.
ReplyDelete11- The answer to this question can be derived from just from the title alone. The idea of "I think therefore, I am" acts as the basis of the novel and one of the key themes throughout the story. If something can dream is it human? Maybe not but yes, I do think androids dream. The reason I think this is because of the Final Cut addition of the Blade Runner movie (to know more about that read my journal prompt on the subject). During the movie, despite being an android, Deckard is able to dream. So, if he is able to why wouldn't others be able?
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ReplyDelete1- I do not think that androids should ethically be regarded as humans for a few reasons. Firstly, no matter how much they look or behave like us, androids will always be programmed. The androids in the book were never ‘born’, they cannot give birth or reproduce, and they cannot feel emotions and empathy the way that humans can. These are three very important parts of being a human and unless the androids can do these things, I would never ethically regard them as human. Secondly, no matter how hard you try, it is hard to look at humans and androids in the same way. For example, when Deckard made love to an android in chapter sixteen, Rachael told him to imagine her as a human so that he wouldn’t be disappointed. This is just one example of a human not being able to look at an android any differently from a human. Lastly, it would just simply be strange to think of a human and an android in the same way. There is something special about being human and accepting androids would taint what a human is. Therefore, that is why I believe androids should not ethically be regarded as humans.
ReplyDelete4- My initial impression of Deckard was that he was a cold hearted person with a bit of a temper. This was my first impression because of the argument he had with his wife in chapter one. In this chapter, he easily became angry after his wife called him a murderer which led me to believe that he was an angry person in general. I thought he was cold hearted because of his suggestions of using their mood organ. I thought that he probably needed a mood organ because he cannot feel emotions by himself. My first impressions were not very correct but I thought they were reasonable based on the information that was given in chapter one. I think that his personality can be compared to our policemen today. Our policemen are required to act very professionally, not show much emotion when working, and always do what is necessary. I think that Deckard is very professional, he would do whatever is necessary, and he has a very bland and boring personality which means he naturally doesn’t show very much emotion.
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ReplyDelete#1 - "Of or characteristic of people as opposed to God or animals or MACHINES, especially in being susceptible to weaknesses." That is the definition of a human. According the definition machines are not considered humans which cancels out androids. But, if you read further into the definition, it says "being susceptible to weaknesses" because the androids are incapable of even feeling, in fact they need a mood organ, they would be incapable of being subject to weaknesses such as; sadness, anger, and even love.
ReplyDelete6. Would John R. Isidore fit into our world today? Or would he be treated the same as he was in the book?
ReplyDeleteI think Isidore would fit in now a days. Back when the book was written, everything was very straight laced, you had to do things a certain way and act a certain way, but now, you can express your self and it's so different. Back then, when people were different (like Isidore) others would look at them like they were a zoo animal, something to stare at, but now, when someone expresses themselves and they act different from everyone else, they get praised. I think Isidore would be praised for his uniqueness in our society.
#6 - In today's world I think that Isidore would have a a better time then he did in Blade Runner. Nowadays, people who are mentally challenged are taken care, there is medication, special treatments and more option in today's world. In Isidore's world, people who were "chickenhead" weren't considered a part of society. I wouldn't go as far as to say that he would fit in to today's world but he would definitely be treated much better.
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