Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep

Throughout the novel, empathy, not intellect, is the defining trait of a human being and is used to distinguish human from android, and yet Rick’s understanding of empathy changes drastically over the course of the story. In what ways is the concept of empathy tested, undermined, and redefined by Rick’s story, and what reconciliation, if any, comes at the end? Consider the following questions as you develop your ideas:

• How do key characters both experience and fail to experience empathy? What does this suggest about the benefits, limitations, or necessities of empathy in human society?
• Though empathy is understood to be a performance in androids, to what extent it is revealed to be a performance in humans?
• What is at the core of Rick’s emotional and intellectual struggle regarding his occupation? How does this manifest and resolve throughout the story?
• What threat does the androids’ lack of empathy pose? Is this sufficient grounds for “retiring” them?
• How does Mercer’s struggle and the philosophy of Mercerism relate to empathy? Why is Buster Friendly’s revelation about Mercerism both momentous and insignificant?
• Based on the story’s characters and plot, how would you define empathy? What value does it hold?

Teaching Suggestion: Students may benefit from written copies of the questions to refer to while discussing.