Technological Rationality And Logics Of Domination In Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?

Published in1968, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is considered as a masterpiece of the science fiction genre by critics and readers alike. The novel is written at the height of the counter-cultural "Flower Power" revolution, and the fact that its author, Philip K. Dick, deeply sympathizes with the revolutionary lefties gave the novel a definite political charge. Portrayal of international monopolies, oppressive government bureaucracies and hypnotizing entertainment industry are abundant in the novel. Therefore, it is highly relevant to delve into the political dimension of this novel, especially the issue of domination.Furthermore, previous studies manifests a regrettable confusion toward the role of technology in this book. Some critics hold nearly opposite views of the function of technology in this novel-whether it is a destructive force or a constructive one. Hence, how exactly technology operates in the novel is a question worth considering. According to German philosopher Herbert Marcuse, the so-called neutrality of technology is only a myth. Technology has already developed into a "rational enterprise", one that rationalizes even the most oppressive and destructive features of domination. This rational enterprise, in Marcuse’s terms, is called technological rationality. Therefore, a study of technology in this novel should not only include specific technological devices but also how technology infiltrates into human mentality, namely the functioning of technological rationality. No plausible arguments can be made about the role of technology without discussing the functioning of technological rationality in the novel.In light of such context, this thesis will mainly focus on the role of technology, specifically the role of "technological rationality" in the novel, and its relation with domination. The thesis utilizes Marcuse’s definition of "technological rationality" as the starting point of argument, attempting to explore how technological rationality justifies the legitimacy of domination in this novel, by giving analysis to the three ways in which it affects our perception of the world, namely the process of quantification and abstractification, dissolution of particularities and the principle of nonfrustration.The thesis first discusses how the process of quantification and abstractification influences animals, humans and androids, and how it serves to rationalize the state’s domination Then, it shifts its focus to the results brought about by dissolution of particularity, which are silence, countless replication and anonymous authority. They all serve to ensure a domination that is ever more complete. The last part explores the three aspects through which the principle of nonfrustration is manifested, namely the Penfield Mood Organ, TV shows and consumption. The principle of nonfrustration negates people’s ability or even desire to protest, pushing them further into the abyss of passivity and obedience.To sum up, the thesis displays specifically how under the influence of technological rationality, everything is quantified, abstractified and standardized to become easier to be controlled; how humans in the novel are gradually mechanized and uncertain about their own identities; how international corporation and government gain control over the mass, stripped them of their individualities. Ultimately, through the functioning of technological rationality, domination is internalized rather than forced upon, justifying even the most oppressive features of the ruling system.