Corvus+2014-15+Phillip+Dick


 * Historical by Haley Stamper **

Philip Dick experienced a moment of clarity on 2-3-74 and from then on wrote over 8,000 pages in an attempt to understand himself and what he called the truth. In his writings he says “ My exegesis, then, is an attempt to understand my own understanding ” (Critchley). He was self taught through his own readings and inspired by his moment of clarity on 2-3-74 to be what he called a “  fictionalizing philosopher ” (Critchley). In his work “Dick explored sociological, political and metaphysical themes in novels dominated by monopolistic corporations, authoritarian government, and altered states. In his later works Dick's thematic focus strongly reflected his personal interest in metaphysics and theology” (wikipedia.com). Due to Dick being more eccentric than his claims of having visions of the truth about reality, having a pot which spoke to him, many seek to discredit him with claims of schizophrenia, brain tumors and other forms of mental instability (Critchley). However, whether or not Dick was mentally “stable” holds no sway over the potential validity of the philosophy behind his writings. Perhaps the only way to truly understand the world is through the eyes of a mad man.

“Philip K. Dick”. wikipedia.com. Web. 29 October 2014.

Critchley, Simon. “ Philip K. Dick, Sci-Fi Philosopher, Part 1”. nytimes.com. 20 May 2012.

= **Aim by Jack Gillette** = Philip K. Dick's stories typically focus on the fragile nature of what is "real" and the construction of personal identity. His stories often become surreal fantasies as the main characters slowly discover that their everyday world is actually an illusion constructed by powerful external entities vast political conspiracies, or simply from the vicissitudes of an unreliable narrator. A friend and fellow fiction author wrote, “All of his work starts with the basic assumption that there cannot be one, single, objective reality. Everything is a matter of perception. The ground is liable to shift under your feet. A protagonist may find himself living out another person's dream, or he may enter a drug-induced state that actually makes better sense than the real world, or he may cross into a different universe completely” (Platt). Philip openly expressed that his works were influenced by that of Carl Jung. Jungian themes and motifs are present in Dick’s writings, especially the use of mass illusion and the struggle for personal identity. Dick identified another major theme of his work as the question, "What constitutes the authentic human being?" (Dick) In Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, beings can appear totally human in every respect while lacking soul or compassion, while completely alien beings may be more humane and complex than Dick's human characters.

"Philip K. Dick”. wikipedia.com. Web. 29 October 2014. Critchley, Simon. “ Philip K. Dick, Sci-Fi Philosopher, Part 1”. nytimes.com. 20 May 2012.


 * __ Audience by Jay Chambers: __ **

 Philip Dick was well known for being a literary genius and a visionary because of his writing and such. He is well known for his mind-bending sci-fi stories, in which those encouraged movies such as Blade Runner and The Minority Report, along with "inspiring research in physics, robotics, and even law enforcement" (Science Channel). Basically, his writing were psychedelic and such, which interested his audience. His intended audience are people who are more interested in those type of things; "things" being stories with psychedelic feeling to it and those stories that are mind-bending. People who would believe in sci-fi experiences would be interested in his writing because of the fact that it would make people think more about how this would relate to the real world because there's a possibility that his writings link to real world situations. For example: in an article, it states that his work, he “confronts readers with a deceptively simple question: What is reality” (Science Channel). Basically, his writings tend to lead his audience asking questions, which leads to understanding more about what he writes about. So overall, he tends to have an always-expanding audience because of the psychedelic features in his writings, which kept readers wanting more.

"Philip K. Dick." sciencechannel.com. Web. 29 October 2014.

"Philip K. Dick Biography." infoplease.com. Web. 29 October 2014.

**Cultural by Justine Chavez**
Philip was a Novelist, short story writer, essayist and philosopher. He has made a huge impact in today's society. According to French writer, Emmanuel Carrére, said “ The book you hold in your hands is a very peculiar book. I have tried to depict the life of Philip K. Dick from the inside, in other words, with the same freedom and empathy – indeed with the same truth – with which he depicted his own characters” (Carrére). He left such a big legacy from all his accomplishments from all novels that fans created a remote-controlled android designed in his likeness. Throughout his career he made long term friends that helped serve Philip as a literary executor till his death. He was so famous that almost every book he work was made into a movie or was the genre of the movies. In his book, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep he makes human beings appear in every aspect of life but still lack compassions wle other ‘aliens’ seems more humane and complex that his characters in his books (Wikipedia).
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Sources: “Philip K. Dick”. Wikipedia.com. Web. 30 October 2014. "Philip K. Dick Biography." infoplease.com. Web. 29 October 2014.