Different Cults, Religions, & Belief In Gods In The Novel "Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep" By Philip K. Dick
The novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick was written in 1968 and is set on post-apocalyptic period (2021) brought on by the “World War Terminus” in San Francisco, California. Radioactive fallout and nuclear destruction caused irreversible damages to Earth leading to the extinction of different animal species, the death of people, and degeneration. The war survivors are urged by the Government to relocate to Mars or any of the other colony planets. Additionally, as an incentive the government gives the colonists free androids as servants to serve them in Mars. PKD portrays androids as exceptionally sophisticated and almost indistinguishable from real human beings.
The protagonist of the novel is Rick Deckhard a Bounty hunter living his wife, Iran and working for San Francisco Police Department to retire androids who fled from Mars. Throughout the novel, PKD describes how empathy differentiates humans from androids with the exception of the mentally challenged like John Isidore. The theme of fake gods and religion is evident as we see that different characters use the empathy box to follow Mercerism and Wilber Mercer in order to experience different emotions.
In this essay, the theme of fake goads with regards to Mercerism and Wilber Mercer will be analyzed. Ever since humanity has existed, there have been different cults, religions, and belief in gods. In Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? it is no different as the author presents Mercerism under the guidance of Wilber Mercer. A lot of characters such as John Isidore, Rick Deckhard, and Iran, are strong believers of Mercerism.
A religion by nature often has different people or congregation that follow it wholeheartedly. Furthermore, a religion in most cases involves adhering to the teachings of the leader. For instance, form Muslims they follow the teachings of Allah while Christians adhere to the teachings of Jesus. In the first chapter of the book, when Rick asked Bill Barbour if he could buy one of his horses, Bill declined his offer and Rick interjected, "for you to have two horses and me none, that violates the whole basic theological and moral structure of Mercerism.
Based on Rick’s reference Marcerism, the act of equality is emphasized on as it would be unfair to have something more than another person or when someone else is lacking. This is a similar view to the Biblical teaching of Christianity as followers are urged to practice the virtue of equality. Therefore, in a bleak world like in the novel, Mercerism is a religion that offers a lot of follows a chance to feel empathy and experience different human emotions.
Just like any other religion like Christianity, the Mercerites look up to Mercer the same way Christians look up Christ; therefore, Mercer is depicted as a Christ-like figure in the novel as the Mercerism ‘religion’ centers around him. Another reason why Mercer is a Christ-like figure in the novel is that there is a strong resemblance in Mercer’s story to that of Jesus Christ. The rising of Mercer from the “tomb world” is evocative of Christ’s resurrection. Additionally, while Mercer was ascending up the hill and inflicted pain by the rocks which were being hurled at him appears to reminisce the situation and suffering of Jesus Christ while he carrying the Cross. Also Rick mentioning that Bill owning two horses while he had none “violates the whole basic theological and moral structure of Mercerism."
The whole perception of Mercerism is based on the life of Mercer and for Rick to refer to the theological and moral teachings of Mercerism then Mercer must be viewed as a Christ figure.As mentioned in the previous paragraphs, the believers of Mercerism include John Isidore, Iran, Rick, and others while the non-believers or those not willing to participate in the ritual were androids. Mercerism brings people together through an empathy box owned by almost everyone on Earth and other colony planets. By holding the grips of empathy box, one fuses with an old man (Wilbur Mercer) ascending a mountain.
The aim of using an empathy box is to connect with each individual doing the ritual at that same moment in order to share emotions with them and share deepest thoughts with Wilbur. While Rick was walking through after work and was not ready to climb the stairs to an empty room with no animal, he only heard his echo while descending and felt lonely, thus deciding to hold the handles of empathy box to avoid loneliness. When he touches the handles of the box, Isidore fuses with Wilbur Mercer as the old man climbing the hill while stones were hurled his way.
Dick describes what John Isidore sees after grasping empathy box handles: “… the old, brown, barren ascent, with tufts of dried-out bonelike weeds poking slantedly into a dim and sunless sky… The man, Wilbur Mercer, plodded ahead… he no longer witnessed the climb of the elderly man. His own feet now scraped, sought purchase, among the familiar loose stones; he felt the same old painful, irregular roughness beneath his feet and once again smelled the acrid haze of the sky — not Earth’s sky but that of some place alien, distant, and yet, by means of the empathy box, instantly available… physical merging — accompanied by mental and spiritual identification — with Wilbur Mercer had reoccurred. As it did for everyone who at this moment clutched the handles, either here on Earth or on one of the colony planets.”
Therefore, by grasping the “handles of empathy” people are brought together to experience different human emotions like empathy, pain, et cetera prompted by the life experience of Wilbur Mercer as viewed in the box. Moreover, John says “And then, within him, the mutual babble of everyone else in fusion broke the illusion of aloneness”. Because the empathy box allows interaction with others thus riding away from the feeling of loneliness. Iran is also another character that cherishes the empathy box because it allows connections to other humans.
Even though the empathy box used by Mercerism believers helps them avoid loneliness and experience empathy as the epitome of human nature, it is another form of technological advancement that brainwashes humans into passivity and to accept the lives after World War Terminus. This is because an empathy box prevents actual or real human communications. For instance, when Rick tries to talk to his wife, Iran while she was fused to Mercer, he was not able to connect with her because she is completely engrossed by the technology.
From the prior mentioned scene, technology hinders normal human interaction between Iran and Rick, generating emotional detachment between them. Another instance where humans have been brainwashed by technology into passivity and to accept their post-apocalyptic life is through the use of Penfield mood organ, TV, and electric animals. The Penfield mood organ allows people to dial particular emotions for them to experience. At the start of the novel, Rick wants Iran to use her mood organ to dial emotions such as “the desire to watch TV.”
On the hand, the TV’s constant noise assists humans to avoid loneliness. However, with the absence of noise or sound from the TV, loneliness is inevitable. John uses his empathy box after turning off the TV because he could not avoid the feeling of anything. John Isidore states that "I think Buster Friendly and Mercerism are fighting for control of our psychic souls." Buster Friendly is a television icon beloved by many who listen. John refers to Buster Friendly as the most significant living individual except Wilbur Mercer because he is on a show that lasts twenty-three hours a day however, Mercer is regarded immortal because he dies and rises again.
Therefore, Buster Friendly and Mercerism are the two most important people during the post-apocalyptic period and John says that it’s like both groups are fighting to control humanity with every group using different tactics to win. Both also portray powerful impacts of technology on humans because for Mercerism one has to fuse with Mercer through an empathy box while one watches TV to hear Buster. Later in the text, it is revealed that Buster is an android and was therefore a fake ‘god’ as a lot of people loved him.
As the novel approaches the end, it is relevant for Buster to expose Mercer as fake as an attempt to rule over humans, that is, the android hoped that the revelation will lead humans away from Mercerism. Both Buster and Mercer are liars but the effect that Mercer is real because humans can empathize in different situations unlike androids who have no feelings or emotions. Despite knowing that Mercer is a fraud, he interacts with John and Rick to warn them and help them kill the androids. The significance of the interaction between the three humans shows that if they cannot depict empathetic responses then they might not be superior to androids. The theme of fake gods is thus highlighted with the revelation of Buster as android and Mercerism as a fraud.
In conclusion, Mercer and Mercerism play major roles in the context of fake gods and religion in the text. A lot of people were Mercerism believers and at the end the ‘religion’ was a hoax. From all the analysis, Dick suggests that religion is an influential force in the society. As seen in different scenarios, Mercerism helped people to avoid loneliness by fusing with others and Mercer through the empathy box. Religion can influence the way we live and the manner in which we react to our current situations.
Work Cited:
- Top of Form Dick, Philip K. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? 2017.
