A Biological Necessity: Evolution in the Novels of Philip K. Dick

Robotics, genetic engineering, virtual realities...we are on a quest to accelerate the evolution of the human race. But what are the costs? Philip K. Dick, one of the most important science fiction writers of the 20th century, was always concerned with how new technologies were endangering the essence of the human. He feared that human integration with these technologies would not only prevent evolution but hold deadly consequences for the future of humanity. This study traces those fears through some of his best novels, and finds in these novels an alternative evolutionary path that does not rely on technological advancement. His worldview is often characterized merely as paranoid, but his fiction possesses an equally idealistic view of the future, and this study endeavors to unearth that less explored view. This study will be of interest to fans of Philip K. Dick and science fiction in general, and to anyone interested in how advanced technologies are directing our evolution, and whether there may be an alternative to that evolution we have yet to consider, a path that may finally lead the human race to the spiritual transcendence it has sought for thousands of years.