The Religious Impulse
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The religious impulse is expressed in the society depicted in the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick. This is a post-war society, one that has been much changed first by the death brought by a weapon that killed most of the animals and many humans, then by the forced migration of millions of people to other planets to escape the lingering effects of the dust-weapon. Only a sparse population is left on earth, some from fear of emigration, some from loyalty to earth, some because they have been rejected by society. One of the ways the government gets people to make the move is by giving each individual a personal servant in the form of an android, and many of these androids seek freedom of their own by escaping back to earth. The main character is a bounty hunter who tracks down these runaways and eliminates them. Within this societal context, the religious impulse is seen in a yearning for community, in the worship of certain myths, and in a reverence for animals. The primary religion in this society is Mercerism, named for a legendary man some believe existed and others see as perhaps a myth. This is a religion assisted by mechanical means, by Mercer units each person has which link to their psychology and carry them into a virtual realm where they become one with Mercer as he makes a journey up a hill, is attacked, and descends into a valley. This is the form the worship takes--the individual gasps the handles on the machine and is mentall
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strangely, inside him (21).
Mercerism is the prevailing morality and includes a reverence for all life, though android life is excluded because it is artificial. Killing goes against Mercerism, as Isidore points out, and Pris tells him it is different if you are not human, a statement he misunderstands: "That's not true. even animals--even eels and gophers and snakes and spiders--are sacred" (141).
Using the empathy box is called fusion, a connection with others that allows emotions to be shared. In this way, the depressed gain strength from others, who themselves are able to feel that they are participating in humanity by giving to someone else. What these people are seeking, though, is more than this connection. Deckard in particular wants answers, wants salvation, and Mercer tells him there is no salvation. Deckard then sees Mercer as just an old man climbing a hill to his death, and Mercer tells him that no matter where he is or what he does, Deckard, like everyone else, will have to violate his own identify and do evil because that is the nature of man.
Television is another form of religion for millions of people in the novel, as it may be in our universe as well. Television in this future, however, consists lar
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1644
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)
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