does not exist in such as view, only this virtual reality wherein humans are lulled into lives of blind obedience to the system, like dialing up a mood in Blade Runner or needing to use an ôempathy boxö to relate to other human beings.
If we examine WalshÆs essay on ôdystopiaö, we see many of the concepts which he outlines at work in the ôdystopiaö displayed in Blade Runner. Walsh (1962) maintains that in a utopia people never tire of happiness. People like Rick Deckard, however, understand happiness is artificial and comes with a price if one is to deaden oneself to the slings and arrows of reality. As Walsh (1962) writes, ôThe dystopianàknows that man is obsessed with finitude, time and death, and that a little neurosis is part of our heritage. He is not so sure that the bland happiness of utopia is enough. If he had to choose, he might opt for more agony and ecstasy,ö (Walsh 1962, 112). It is exactly this choice made by Deckard in the film.
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