Ramtin journal entry #3

What would the world look like after a nuclear war? That question could have many different answers. In blade runner, the world after ‘world war terminus’ is much different from the world we live in today. Philip K. Dick creates a world that has permanently been affected by nuclear war. The damage and danger has caused many people to leave the planet and those who stay are at risk of becoming permanently affected by the radiation. Many species of animals have gone extinct and those that remain are looked after more preciously. This is shown by the expectancy of owning a real pet in their society. Despite the author creating a world devastated by nuclear war, he did not create a world where the human race had crumbled and chaos had ensued. Instead, the world continued to have order and the human race not only survived, but in many ways thrived by creating new and very advanced technology, and colonizing Mars. In real life, it is almost impossible to know what the Earth after a nuclear war would look like. Would the human race survive, would chaos ensue, would other forms of life survive like animals and plants? The historical inspiration of ‘world war terminus’ in the book was most likely the cold war. Blade runner was published in 1968 which was in the middle of the cold war. The cold war was essentially tension between the Soviet Union and the United States which lasted approximately 45 years. Throughout this time span, the use of nuclear weapons was a serious possibility especially during the Cuban missile crisis in 1962, six years before blade runner was published. Also, the book does make multiple references to the Soviet Union. Therefore, ‘world war terminus’ can probably be seen as the cold war if nuclear weapons were actually used.