Authenticity vs Simulation

The blurring line between real and artificial in a world of electric animals and androids.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The Electric Sheep

The Fake Animal The Secret Deckard owns an electric sheep. He must care for it as if it were real. The pretense is exhausting. The Social Pressure Owning a real animal is a marker of status. The electric sheep is a shameful secret. The Desire He longs for a real animal. The sheep is a constant reminder of his failure.

The Rosen's Owl

The Fake Owl The Offer Eldon Rosen offers Deckard a real owl. But it is revealed to be artificial. The Deception The Rosens use the fake owl to manipulate him. The line between real and fake is a tool of power. The Disappointment Deckard is crushed. He wanted a real animal. The fake is a cruel joke.

The Spider's Fate

The Real Spider The Discovery Isidore finds a real spider. It is a treasure. The Mutilation Pris cuts off its legs. The real becomes a toy. The androids do not value life. The Death Isidore drowns it. The real is destroyed. The artificial world triumphs.

The Electric Toad

The Fake Toad The Discovery Deckard finds a toad, believed extinct. He is overjoyed. The Revelation Iran finds the control panel. It is electric. He is disappointed. The Acceptance He says electric things have their own lives. He accepts the artificial. The boundary is blurred.

morning of January 3

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