Sci-tech And Ethics In Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?

Philip K.Dick is an important writer in the history of science fiction.Do Androids Dream of Electronic Sheep?is one of his most influential science fiction novels.This work predicts many scientific and technological achievements,reveals many ethical issues arising between human beings and post-humans,and has profound warning significance.The academic research on Do Androids Dream of Electronic Sheep?mainly involves psychology,philosophy,sociology,mass-media,film adaptation and so on.At present,there is no special research on the relationship between sci-tech and ethics in the work.Therefore,this thesis mainly adopts the method of ethical literary criticism,through the analysis of the post-human ethical dilemmas in the novel,to reflect a series of ethical issues caused by the excessive emphasis on human's subject position,the excessive emphasis on sci-tech rationality and the neglect of value rationality,in addition,giving the corresponding solutions to those ethical issues.The first chapter includes the general information of Philip K.Dick and his literary achievements,the relevant information and literature review of Do Androids Dream of Electronic Sheep?,and then introducing the research task,methodology and structure.The second chapter starts with the analysis of post-human ethical dilemmas in the novel.The main post-human group in the novel is the android group.The ethical dilemmas faced by androids are mainly the post-human identity dilemma and the post-human ethical choice dilemma.The post-human identity dilemma includes identity construction dilemma and identity conversion dilemma.The dilemma of post-human ethical choice mainly refers to the internal contradictions arising in post-human groups about "how to deal with the relationship between post-humans and human beings".The third chapter analyzes the root cause of these post-human dilemmas is the collision between sci-tech and ethics.The development speed of human values cannot keep pace with the development speed of science and technology,therefore,human beings have gradually gone astray in a "one-dimensional" way in the process of understanding and transforming the world.In the field of human values,the developing speed disconnection between human ethics and the sci-tech is mainly manifested in the disharmony between sci-tech rationality and value rationality.In the practical realm,it is reflected in a series of serious natural and social crises.The fourth chapter probes into the imbalance of sci-tech rationality and value rationality caused negative impacts on the spiritual level of human beings,mainly manifested in the loss of self-identity,alienation and spiritual emptiness of human beings.The fifth chapter regards that it is necessary for human beings to reflect on the values that guide practice in the age of science and technology,human beings should seek the balance between sci-tech rationality and value rationality,re-examine anthropocentrism,complete self-repositioning,and self-transcendence,and establish a series of ethical regulations and supervision systems.So that science and technology can better serve the liberation and development of human beings,maintain the correct value orientation in the continuous blending of sci-tech and ethics.The conclusion summarizes the issues and viewpoints discussed above,and refines the central argument,that is,the author's depiction of the conflict between sci-tech and ethics in the novel is essentially to answer the question of "what is true humanity".The thought embodied in the work is that when dealing with the relationship between sci-tech and ethics,the most important thing is to correctly understand and carry forward the true brilliance of humanity,that is,human beings' self-transcendence and the rational empathy for "others".Only under the guidance of values that conform to the times and the laws of human development can human beings achieve sustainable development in the future.