Uroboros: Phildickian Gnosticism in Practice Ω Mercerism as a Living Religion Empathy – version 2.0 [Copyright ©]

Greetings all – friends of PKD, and as promised, I deliver – I present to you a study of the Mercerism/Religion of Empathy by writer and Neo-Gnostic Philip Kindred Dick. Read calmly, but with an open mind, but be willing to offer substantive criticism where appropriate. This version is version 2.0, and this is because it was necessary to process all substantive comments on the previous version. Otherwise, it is also the result of my collaboration with my friends in the Czech science fiction fandom PKD and especially Mr. Jan Walter Sluka. So I invite you on an interesting journey.

1. Introduction to Mercerism
2. Basic exposition of Phildickian Gnosticism
3. Important notes and comments
4. The core of Mercerism
5. (1) Isidore’s Story of Merging – excerpt from the book
6. (2) Empathy Box – excerpt from the book
7. (3) Dream androids about electric sheep (first chapter) – excerpt from the book
8. Important notes on animals in detail
9. (4) Empathy and Andes (androids) – excerpt from the book
10. Important notes about the Andoids in detail
11. The Last Touch of Mercerism
12. (5) Why does Buddy Buster keep making fun of Mercerism? – Excerpt from the book
13. (6) Is Mercerism a scam? – Excerpt from the book
14. Sources used
15. Subversive Element vs State Guardians
16. Mercerism – 1st extract of Holy Texts to Teach Empathy (book Do Androids Dream of Electronic Sheep?)
17. Mercerism – 2nd extract of Holy Texts for Teaching Empathy (short story The Little Black Box)

Introduction to Mercerism:

I present to you a new study on Mercerism in version 2.0; this version is therefore different from my previous published version from April 2021, and contains completely new knowledge + clarifications, but also a number of extremely critical factual remarks that are the result of cooperation with an author capable of factual and systematic criticism (colleague Jan Walter Sluka), and who helped me to process the topic of Mercerism from the imaginary version 1.0 to the version Mercerism 2.0 (Phildickian Gnosticism – Mercerism 2.0),  and whose cooperation I greatly appreciate and thank him in this introduction.

By working together, we are able to fully develop the understanding of the topic (even from its hard-to-process details and differences, to which the writer „insidiously“ and purposefully exposed us) and show the community associated in Phildickian Gnosticism another dimension of the work of writer and Neo-Gnostic Philip Kindred Dick (hereinafter referred to as PKD).

This study is also still open – this means that any of the readers of this study can point out discrepancies or clarifications of terminology or interpretation of terms after publication. I give cautions mainly because, as a Neo-Gnostic, I accept the doctrine of Phildickian Gnosticism as living, still in the process of understanding, and I want to avoid defining all knowledge as truth that is not subject to factual, that is, skeptical and scientific criticism. To everyone who is the author, I always say be prepared to acknowledge a mistake, and correct or supplement a study that will be published under your name. This approach will always guarantee that you learn details that you do not know about, or mistakenly consider irrelevant. A mistake can be corrected, but pride is much harder.

Basic exposition of Phildickian Gnosticism:

Dickian Neo-Gnosticism is more difficult (briefly) and (perfectly) to define, or at least always define well (well, with a full description of the individual ideas of the writer PKD).

The reason is simple (every reader) of short stories, books, and essays, and PKD studies should have a healthy understanding that the moment he or she reads all of Dick’s work from his subjective, multi-factor distorted point of view; this always happens to you (not only when studying PKD), whether you want it or not, you can understand every word, every expression differently at one moment than a day later, the same is true with the explanation of individual terms at PKD.

So there is a healthy golden rule that every (Phildickian) Gnostic discovers new secrets daily in the work of PKD (sometimes it can remind us of the Sisyphean work, or the futile efforts of the prophet Wilbur Mercer in the book Blade Runner (originally published as the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?)

A characteristic of Phildickian Gnosticism is also that it is strongly anti-dogmatic, and in a special way non-religious (although it works with religious terms), its adherents consider it a rational scientific movement, and never concern the belief system and belief in the classical understanding. So there is no need to accept anything at the beginning of the journey, because you start from NOTHING and only by getting to know directly (i.e. touching the reader’s imagination, intuition and inspiration with Dick’s work) in Phildickian Gnosticism you create a subjective understanding of the full range of PKD’s legacy not only as a science fiction writer, but also as a Neo-Gnostic.

In Phildickian Gnosticism, only logical arguments have a place in terminology (but this is really strictly only in that direct subjective knowledge – personal gnosis).

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Blade Runner) Phildickian Gnosticism in Practice Ω Mercerism as a Living Religion Empathy – version 2.0 Bc. Josef Šédl, DiS. ֍ Jan Walter Sluka© 19.12.2022

Compared to a religion that believes, a better understanding in Phildickian Gnosticism is that myths are primarily interpreted in human psychology (experientially) as archetypes of the collective consciousness.  This teaching most impressed the human world psychologist and writer Carl Gustav Jung, who also published a similarly large alchemical Great Work – like PKD and his famous, Czech and (not only) English-speaking reader [1]Red Book, which is Jung’s personal Neo-Gnostic legacy to the world. [2] PKD also enriched the world with a similar book, The Exegesis of Philip K. Dick.[3]

It is also worth pointing out that, like most ancient Gnostic paths or Neo-Gnostic systems, Phildickian Gnosticism stands in opposition to ill-considered (i.e. unable to expose oneself to direct knowledge), non-reflective (unable to respond to the development of science and knowledge), religious belief (the inability to subject everything in which it believes to a detailed test of knowledge and expose oneself to constant doubts) and the cult of personality (Phildickian Gnosticism learns from PKD,  but at the same time he does not put him on a pedestal of faith, as an idol, I believe that He Himself would be the first to throw down his entire cult of personality like a statue from a pedestal).

One more difference is emphasized, and that is that of the scientific methods of epistemology. (Epistemology – from the Greek episteme, knowledge, understanding) is one of the basic philosophical disciplines. It deals with the origin, object, extent and result of knowledge. Understood in this way, epistemology is synonymous with the theory of knowledge).

The eclectic side of Phildickian Gnosticism: The good side of PKD is its ability to adapt faith and spirituality to new ideas and information. Phildickian Gnosticism is not imprisoned by rigid dogmatism, and this is the main shortcoming of all religions: they are fixed and resist change. This eclectic nature of believing something one day and believing something diametrically opposed to new ideas and information the next day is one of the things I admire most about PKD and apply to myself. According to the circumstances of current knowledge, PKD was a gnostic, an agnostic, a Christian, a Jew, a Hindu, a Buddhist, a New Age adherent, an atheist, all and nothing of it. And this is one of the most important aspects of him, attached to the importance he attached to empathy, or „caritas.“

Important notes and comments:

• Basic information: Mercerism was created [4]by  PKD specifically for The Little Black Box; and also (partly differently as is usually the case with PKD) for the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?; and partly?! for the film Blade Runner as a religion of empathy.[5][6][7]

• Critical note: The short story The  Black  Box will be mentioned repeatedly in the text, and the English title  The Little Black Box – 1964 will be used in the text. [8] Furthermore, the novel Do androids dream of electric sheep?  And as with the short story, only the English title of the work will always be mentioned –  Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? – 1968.

• Abbreviations: The text uses an abbreviation for the writer and Neo-Gnostic Philip Kindred, namely PKD; further in the text – especially in critical notes are used abbreviations TLBB I – VI … The Little Black Box and DADoES – for Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? + link to pagination in the English edition of both the short story The Little Black Box + and the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. Partly the study was worked with Czech translations, and partly with English translations, so it is necessary to emphasize this difference.

• Addendum: However, we will return to some terms and terminology repeatedly as part of the lessons, because it is necessary to gradually understand the whole story.

The core of Mercerism:

Mercerism is a vision of the religion of the writer and Neo-Gnostic PKD within the so-called Phildickian Gnosticism. This vision is reflected in Mercerism’s post-apocalyptic world of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? It should be noted, however, that the theme of Mercerism first appeared in the short story collection The Golden Man (1980) directly in the short story The Little Black Box.[9][10]

• Critical note: It’s hard to say that The Little Black Box has been openly reworked into the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?  Of course, both works contain the „religion of empathy“ Mercerism.  But the setting, the characters, and the situations are very different—to the point of being the opposite. Living in affluence versus post-apocalypse, Mercerism is persecuted in one version, required in another. There are differences in Mercerism itself and in how the role and story of the prophet Mercer is interpreted. Personally, I would say that it was more of a transfer of the concept of the religion of Empathy described in The Little Black Box to Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? This is usual in the work of PKD, one theme can appear in several forms, but it can also be used in opposites, this is exactly fulfilled here with Mercerism, or it appears in the PKD vision of the so-called Valis.[11][12]

First, in 1964, PKD adapted The Little Black Box and thus the religion of Mercerism (as we read in a critical note) for the first time, and then in a different way in 1968 he reworked the backdrop of the Mercerist religion a second time into his novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? With this act, he created (fictitious) two different versions of literary religion called Mercerism, which was still based on the basic idea of living (intervening in life) Empathy and the search for its limits, extended not only to human or animal friends, but also to technical friends – androids, both human and animal.

• Critical note: „ life-interfering“ empathy could be described as pathological, it has some rather interesting implications about what is normal and what is not.

• Critical note: Android, is both by definition (Merriam-Webster Dictionary – a mobile robot usually with a human form) and by world Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is a machine with a human form. Machines with animal form are in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? referred to as „artificial animal“ or „ersatz animal“ – „artificial animal“ or „substitute animal“. At the beginning of Chapter 2: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? It is specifically written that androids are organic (p. 11) – it is possible to distinguish a human from an android by analyzing the marrow of the bone (p. 27, p. 55). They have zygotes and function for only 4 years, due to an unsolved cell renewal problem (p. 92). Artificial animals have „wires and engines“ (p. 50).[13][14]

Mercerism as such is mentioned in detail only in literary form, but in the subsequent film (alternative) adaptation of the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? called „Blade Runner⁷„, the religion of Mercerism is not mentioned (sometimes there are some slight hints of the mysticism of Mercerism – for example, the Owl flying in artificial light). The religion of Mercerism thus remains only (imprisoned) in the literary form of the  original short story The Little Black Box and in Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, which is in a way a very  insensitive intervention in Dick’s literary work, the film Blade Runner, so it is deprived of the mystical interpretation of the philosophy of Empathy and Merging in Suffering in the Sisyphean cycle.

• Critical note: The film Blade Runner is not only (unfortunately) deprived of the element of mysticism and philosophy = the story of the film is generally flattened into a variation of a well-worn noir plot, where a rough and worldly detective catches the bad guys and gets a girl. From this point of view, PKD was initially not satisfied with the film adaptation of Blade Runner, but while he criticized this shortcoming, the film’s sets and the transfer of the post-apocalypse and the overall impression of the apocalypse to the film finally convinced him after seeing the director’s version that director Ridley Scott had done a good job.

• Critical note: To be more specific, while Blade Runner portrays empathy as something that plays a role only for replicant/android detection, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? shows a world where empathy associated with Mercerism is one of the main driving forces of society.

• Critical note: One more factor is very different – the residential complexes in the suburbs are completely depopulated, the remaining people have flocked to urban centers, where in some buildings up to half of the apartments are occupied, (p. 6) while the emptiness of houses in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is frightening.[15]

If someone is thinking in the 21st century what could be applied from Dickian Neo-Gnosticism today and for us, surely we are in a position to boldly reach into the shelf for the classic Dickian Fantasy Novel for the novel Do  Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? better known in the film as Blade Runner, please reach for the book in the first phase, if only because it contains extremely necessary ideas for understanding Mercerism. To understand Mercerism, I recommend that you also consider The Little Black Box).

In this novel, with the unusual title Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?;  which forms the core of PKD’s work, everything is different from what it would correspond to our world. The novel is set in the environment of the destroyed planet Earth in the near future, in a situation where the planet Earth, after the cataclysmic Third World War event, called  „World War Terminus“  (abbreviated as „WWT“), has largely turned into a post-apocalyptic Wasteland.

In order to save those who remained of humanity from extinction, they chose such a common approach (because not all of them could be sent) that some people were (based on careful expert assessment) sent mainly to Mars; Mars is not the only one, but it is the main one directly referred to, but it is assumed that there are other colonies on other planets, although the so far unsuccessful mission to Alpha Proxima is also explicitly mentioned.

• Clarification: The „three [inhabited] planets“ are mentioned, i.e. Earth, Mars and probably Venus – Venus was inhabited in a number of other stories. (p. 12)[16]

• Critical note: The goal was to send every healthy person (capacity was apparently not lacking). Almost all of them emigrated, except for a few people who for some reason refused to leave Earth and „specials“ – i.e. people who were disabled as a result of radiation. (p. 11)[17]

• Critical note: Ads for emigration are running on TV, healthy people are further motivated by the promise that everyone will get an android as a personal servant – a de facto slave – to the colony. (p. 11)[18]

Thus, the idea of a new beginning for humanity is aimed at ensuring that humanity survives elsewhere as a result of the catastrophe. Due to the fact that the conditions of resettlement (and the associated abilities to survive, in addition to high IQ and other necessary abilities) were very difficult, not all people could leave planet Earth. Selection took place, and at the time of the novel is still in progress, i.e. selection to find those who will be beneficial in the new humanity among the stars.

For these reasons, those who failed were derogatorily called specials, or worse, „chicken heads“) and remained on planet Earth, had to look for new ways to start functioning socially after the „World War Terminus“, that is, to adapt to the consequences of the war, and also to begin to live according to a new moral structure, including a new religion of Life known as Mercerism.

• Critical note: Here it is necessary to point out that the development of this planet Earth was not in line with our development, it is an alternative Earth where there were no religious systems that we know from our planet Earth, but the development went differently in certain fundamental events. For example, and this is one of the important changes, this planet Earth has never known the Christian faith and was therefore unknown to it. Mercerism becomes a substitute for Christianity, no word is said about other religions or spirituality, except for Zen – Buddhism in the version of The Little Black Box.

• Clarification: That other religious systems did not exist before WWT, and that the worlds in which Mercerism exists had an alternative past, is just a conjecture, but it is not specifically supported in the text. But pozor, the exception in PKD once again confirms the rule – in The Little Black Box there is an interesting note mentioned in the text – a light reference to the Last Supper – a central religious practice of the Christian faith. Another mention of Christianity, neither in The Little Black Box nor in the book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? isn’t.

• Specification: Specials whose mental function was impaired were also derogatorily referred to as „chickenheads“. (p. 12)

Mercerism is in the post-apocalyptic world of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?;  After the Third World War, a religion that combines several religious and philosophical elements.  First, the fate of the suffering „prophet“ Wilbur Mercer, [19] resembling a Christian prophet in his severe suffering, is thus not only likened  to Jesus Christ¹⁰, but also, due to the recurring cycle of suffering, second, is  identified with the figure of the Greek Sysiphus¹¹, suffering for his rebellion.  It is interesting that even in the concept of the novel the influence of Zen Buddhism is mentioned, referring to the recurring patience of the prophet.

• Critical note: Calling Mercer a prophet is misleading because he did not claim to speak and teach in the name of a supernatural being, which is usually the Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition of a prophet. Similarly, a Buddha is usually referred to not as a prophet but as a spiritual teacher. Given the role that Mercer plays in Mercerism and the parallels with Jesus Christ, Mercer could probably also be described as at least a messianic figure.[20]

It is also important to note that while Mercerism appears to be a new post-World War Terminus religion based on the teachings of Wilbur Mercer, nowhere in the novel does this directly claim this (how old is it?! – this is just speculation). Mercer (God or Deity) is more likely to come out meaningfully as a reaction to the past war (help for survivors and extremely suffering for different reasons) and the most likely variant of Mercer as an eternally suffering prophet, so the emphasis is on empathy in Mercerism. In an older source, The [21]Little Black Box,  Mercer is also credited with the role of extraterrestrial intelligence, but is that the hundredth  version of Mercerism, the novel version  of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? He  does not work with the thesis of extraterrestrial intelligence, only in one random mention, while in The Little Black Box it is the main point that through Mercer someone wants to control us from the outside, outside of humanity. At the end of the story, this is topped off with a new variant of the box – the new version being a box of happiness.

• Critical note: That Mercerism in The Little Black Box came from an alien source was largely the conclusion of the Crofts character, it’s not something the reader can rely on. Other characters opposed it.[22]

In the basic myth of Mercerism, the Prophet Wilbur Mercer climbs a rocky mountain in order to eventually reach the top of the mountain in order to obtain the final answers to the question of his suffering. The prophet Wilbur Mercer thus climbs the rocky mountain up a steep slope in an endless cycle, and throughout his holy pilgrimage he is stoned by unknown and unseen enemies who are still trying to throw him down with stones from the mountain.

• Critical note: Although the origin of the stones is not visible in the vision, they are thrown by the Killers (p. 114).[23]

Finally, stoned to death in a rain of deadly stones, he is actually stoned to death, and then finds himself in a „pit of corpses and dead bones.“

• Clarification: „The Pit of Corpses and Bones“ (p. 14) is part of the description of the memories of various parts of Mercer’s life—childhood, persecution, and death—that come to mind of a person participating in the event. Isidore also recalls the memory of „top of the hill,“ but it’s unclear if this is something that can be experienced directly in fusion. How exactly the climb, death, and resurrection work within the vision is never explained—Joan and Ray wonder what happens if/when Mercer dies in the vision (TLBB I). Personally, it gives me the impression that the vision of climbing a hill is perhaps just an endless loop composed of several randomly connected segments (p. 98).[24]

• Important note: I would like to note the statement of the absurdist philosopher Albert Camus and his The Myth of Sisyphus, who describes that „Sisyphus [25][26][27]can rejoice in his defiance despite the absurdity of the situation“ (paraphrased).

Then, after some time of some consecration, he rises again like Christ to begin his pilgrimage again (the cycle repeats again and again bleakly). His fate is quite similar (not only to Jesus Christ), but also to the difficult fate of the [28]Greek Sysif, who was ordered by the judges of the dead (as a punishment for previous actions) to push a huge stone up the hill and roll it down on the other side. But Sisyphus did not succeed, the stone always slipped just below the top and rolled back down. Sisyphus had to start all over again, in an endless loop. And so he is tired to death forever, suffering from the futility of his actions and the hopelessness of a situation for which even his proverbial cleverness is short. It thus became an unwanted  symbol of meaningless, numbing and hopeless activity from which there can never be a benefit, and the concept of „Sisyphean work“ thus entered the wide human common consciousness. The phrase „Sisyphean work“ therefore means futile work, futile effort.  And so, like Sysiphos, the prophet Wilbur Mercer is doing a work that can never end.

In the original written form of the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? the  practicing Mercerist is best described on the example of the character of J. R. Isidore, here is J. R. Isidor is a man – the so-called special (it is an insult, the name worse „chicken heads“ is also used), which in the context of the story means that his intelligence does not reach the required level (and is thus below the level of permitted personality level) to be able to emigrate from the destroyed planet Earth away to new colonies. J. R. Isidore thus,  in the loneliness of despair that tries to engulf him, like many others around him, equally disabled, he immerses himself in  the suffering of the prophet through the Empathy Box.

• Important note: Isidor is a special and a chickenhead (p.12) – they are two different, albeit related, states.  Specials are  people affected by radiation, who have damaged genetic material, are sterilized so that they cannot reproduce and are not allowed to emigrate.  Chickenheads have  impaired mental abilities and antheads are also mentioned,  who have even lower mental capacity than chickenheads (p. 42).[29]

(1) Isidore’s Story of Merging – excerpt from the book:

High time to grab the handles, he told himself, and walked through the living room to the Black Box of Empathy.

When he turned it on, the usual faint smell of negative ions gushed out of the power unit; He breathed eagerly, his mood had already improved. Then the tube lit up with a cathode ray like a vague television image; A collage appeared, made up of randomly selected colors, stripes, and patterns that represented nothing until he grasped the handles. So he took a deep breath to calm himself down and gripped the handles tightly.

The pattern took shape; Immediately he saw the familiar landscape, a shabby, brown, bare slope with tufts of dried sedge, stretching the bony scapes diagonally into the murky sky without the sun. A solitary figure, more or less human in appearance, climbed the slope with difficulty: it was an older man in dull, shapeless clothing, clothing as poor as if he had been snatched from the hostile emptiness of heaven. The man, Wilbur Mercer, trudged forward, and John Isidore clutched the handles, feeling that the living room in which he stood was disappearing; The crumbling furniture and walls receded until he stopped noticing them entirely. Instead, he found, as he had done so many times before, that he was entering a land of desolate hill and desolate sky. And at the same time, he stopped following the older man’s path. Now his own feet slid, seeking support among the familiar wobbling stones; He felt the familiar unpleasant, unusually rough ground beneath his feet, and again he felt the burning aftertaste falling from heaven—which was not earthly, but belonged to another, distant world, but was nevertheless within reach thanks to the box of empathy.

By the usual wondrous process, he arrived at a physical fusion—accompanied by mental and spiritual identification—with Wilbur Mercer. Just as it happened to everyone who was clutching their handles at this moment, whether here on Earth or on some colonized planet. He felt them, the others, the subsumed whispering of their thoughts, he heard in his brain the noise of many of their existences. Everyone—even he—cared about one thing; Their intertwined minds focused their attention on the hill, on the ascent, on the need to climb. They all moved step by step, so slowly that the movement was almost imperceptible. But he was unmistakable. Higher, he thought as the rocks rattled beneath his feet. Today we are higher than yesterday, and tomorrow – he, part of Wilbur Mercer’s composite figure, looked up at the slope in front of him. It is impossible, to get to the end. It’s too far. But one day it will come.

A stone flew from above and hit him in the arm. He felt pain. He half turned and another stone flew by, this time missing him; He hit the ground, and the sound startled him. Who? He wondered, straining to see his tormentor. Old adversaries, appearing on the periphery of vision; They followed him all the way up the hill and wouldn’t leave him until he reached the top…

He remembered the summit, the sudden leveling of the slope when he stopped climbing, and the second part began. How many times has he done it? Memories of those few cases became hazy; the future and the past became cloudy; What he had already experienced, and what he might yet experience, had become so mixed that nothing remained but the present moment, when he stood quietly resting, rubbing the wound on his arm caused by the stone. God, he thought wearily. Where is any justice? Why am I alone up here, and I’m bothered by someone I can’t even see? And then, in him, the confused chatter of the others broke the illusion of loneliness.

You feel it too, he thought. Yes, the voices answered. It hit us in the left arm; It hurts like hell. Okay, he said. We’d better get back up. He stepped forward again, and everyone immediately joined him.[30]

An empathy Box is a technical device  (see example under the paragraph)  that allows a group of people to physically empathize (with all their senses) with one person (for example, television allows many people to view the same broadcast), in the context of the story of J. R. Isidore’s character, directly into the suffering of the prophet Wilbur Mercer. Mercerist thus becomes a physical prophet climbing the mountain of suffering in a rain of stones flying from an unseen and unknown enemy. Empathy in the concept of Mercerism is a very highly amazing quality of the Truly Living, and thus transferred to Neo-Gnosticism in the form of the understanding of the Neo-Gnostic belonging to the ORDER of TIRES, explained in the article  Introduction to PhilDickian Gnosticism, [31]as the most personal possession a person has in difficult times. It is a way of expanding your body; It’s the way you touch other people, it’s the way you stop being yourself.

• Important note on thinking: It is also important for the experiencethat connected people create a kind of collective consciousness where thoughts and feelings flow from one person to another (TLBB V, p. 82). It’s not just about merging with a rising Mercer.[32]

• Important note to think about: I would note that the concept of empathy as explained by Deckard (p. 17) is actually contradictory because it does not take into account the role played by the membership group. Mercerism seeks a kind of utopian universal empathy, but it clearly fails to confront reality. The very permission to „kill Killers“ is a big enough problem – the text points to it – and it also shows a big difference from the teachings of Jesus Christ or Buddha.[33]

(2) Empathy Box – excerpt from the book:

„That’s what Mercerism is all about.“  He was astonished again, „You don’t participate in the intermingling? Don’t you have a box of empathy?“

After a while, the girl said cautiously. „I didn’t take it with me. I thought I’d find one here.“

„But a box of empathy,“ he said, stammering with excitement.  „It’s the most personal possession you have. Expands your body; With its help, you can touch other people, with its help you will cease to be alone. But you know, everyone knows it. Mercer allows even those like me—“ He fell silent. But too late; he’d already told her, and he could tell by the face that flashed revulsion that he knew.  „I almost passed the IQ tests,“ he said in a low, shaky voice.  „I’m not very special, just mildly; Not in the way you see it in some. But Mercer doesn’t care about that.“

„As far as I am concerned,“ said the girl, „you may regard this as the chief defect of Mercerism. „[34]

Thus, although Mercerism is similar to Christianity in its theology of resurrection (prophet), it does not require its followers to attend church and services, but to rely on technological devices such as:

Empathy Box

• It is a device that allows a group of people to empathize with one person (just as a television allows many people to watch the same broadcast).

• But it also allows you to have the same direct experience – as Wilbur Mercer.

• Anyone who uses the Empathy Box at a specific time has the same experience; shares the feelings and pain of Wilbur Mercer and others attached to Mercer’s body—the literal equivalent of the Body of the Lord—Mercer’s living church.

• Empathy Box is used in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? as an extreme tool of direct perception of empathy, in a world of solitude. It is actively used by survivors forgotten in the world of the novel (and the short story) because most people have already left Earth because of the radioactive dust that contaminates the planet and kills most animals.

• It is therefore a rescue tool for individuals. The Empathy Box is a way for the few people who are left to reconnect with most of humanity who have flown off planet Earth.

• Here is a quote uttered by Isidore from the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?  „Empathy Box,“ he said, stammering in his excitement, „it’s the most personal possession you have. It’s an extension of your body; It’s the way you touch other people, it’s the way to stop being alone.“

• I would also mention Holy Communion as an important element in the formation of a spiritual union of Christians with Jesus Christ, which has parallels with fusion in Mercerism.

Mood Organ (Náladové varhany) zn. Penfield – Penfield Wave Transmitter

• The device was developed (in the world of novel and short story) based on brain mapping in the mid-60s and discoveries about the midbrain (hypothalamus) and deep electrode techniques of Penfield, Jacobson and Olds. The keys of this organ trigger various depth electrodes in the hypothalamus, which makes it possible to artificially adjust the mood of a person – and even evoke completely new emotions. Hammerstein’s Mood Organ and Waldteufel Euphoria are just such instruments and make conventional music organs obsolete.

• Mood Organ Penfield – allows its users to experience empathy for other individuals and also allows users to regulate their emotions by dialing the number associated with the desired mood.

• It could also be described as a technologically more advanced substitute for psychiatric drugs.

• Penfield wave transmitter – A device that directs a kind of energy wave to a person’s brain and allows him to experience a selected (carefully chosen) mood. This device is a functional part of the mood organ. You would probably find the transmitter you need in a good hobby shop; The problem is figuring out how to tune in to the emotional brain.

• Quote from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? „He put down his weapon kit, opened it in a hurry, and pulled out a non-directional Penfield wave transmitter; He pressed the key for the catelepsis, himself protected from the radiation of mood by a counter-wave emitted by the metal hull of the transmitter aimed only at him.“

• This creates a new kind of non-lethal weapon. Of course, other moods could be projected. For example, you can project Obedience to Legal Authority, Submission to Man Like a Sheep, or even  the  sycophantic admiration of government officials. Based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? the Penfield wave transmitter is capable of generating very specific emotional responses. The Penfield Wave Transmitter was almost certainly named after Wilder Penfield. He is credited with the first finding (in 1957) that there is a map of the human body in the brain; In other words, specific areas of the cortex process information from different areas of the body. Another technological item, the one from Larry Niven’s Ring World, can also be interesting, a hand-held device that can bring the affected person into a state of ecstatic pure pleasure. Specialized, but then it can create one state that is guaranteed to appeal to everyone.[35]

• Heather Ferguson’s comment: „With technology, people have found ways to control their emotions more and more. One example is the discussion between Rick and Iran Deckard at the beginning of the book  (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?)  on the use of the organ of mood. Having a piece of the machine that controls their emotions causes them to give up what defines them as human beings. Along with many others, they are essentially becoming more robotic. Yet these self-hated people can delude themselves that they have preserved their „humanity“ by believing in Mercerism. They will use their empathy boxes and will be close to others who are also jacked in. This is the only time „normal“ people get close to specials (those who haven’t passed an IQ test. But outside of the boxes of empathy, people have no emotional contact.)“[36]

Ultimately, the devices used by Mercerists connect all believers  in Mercer’s mind and with other believers; much like the spiritual connection that Christians make with Jesus Christ experienced through worship and prayer.

• Important note to think about: The difference between Mercerism and Christianity in this aspect is that Mercerists meet remotelythrough technology instead of in person.

• Here is what PKD said about the concept in relation to his novel: „Here religion is considered a threat to all political systems; That is why it is also a kind of political system, perhaps even a finite one. The concept of caritas (or agape) appears in my writing as the key to the authentic person. An android that is an inauthentic person, a mere reflective machine, is incapable of experiencing empathy. In this story, it is never clear whether Mercer is an attacker from some other world. But it has to be; In a sense, all religious leaders are… But not from another planet as such.“[37][38]

(3) Dream androids about electric sheep (first chapter) – excerpt from the book:

A small electrical impulse triggered an automatic wake-up call, and the moody organ by Rick Deckard’s bed whistled merrily. Rick sat up on the bed in his colorful pajamas, surprised—he was always surprised to find herself awake out of the blue—then got up and stretched. At that moment, his wife, Iran, opened her gray, grim eyes in her bed, blinked, grunted something, and closed her eyes again.

„You set Penfield too weakly,“ he told her. „I’ll tune it for you, you’ll wake up and—“ „You’ll leave it as it is.“ There was a sharp bitterness in her voice. „I don’t want to wake up.“ He sat down beside her, bent over her, and explained soothingly, „If you set your frequency high enough, you’ll be glad you’re awake; That’s the whole point. Setting C easily crosses the threshold of consciousness, so that’s what I do.“ Friendly, because he felt in a good mood towards the whole world—he set his alarm to D—he stroked her naked, pale shoulder. „Put your dirty cop washing machine away,“ said Iran. „I’m not a cop.“ It irritated him, even though he didn’t choose that combination.“ You’re something even worse,“ his wife grumbled, her eyes still closed. „You’re the killer the cops hire.“

„I have never killed a human being in my life.“ He was more and more irritated. He became downright hostile. Iran said, „Just the poor Andies.“

„I noticed that the bonuses I collected for the angels you always squandered for everything without difficulty.“ He got up and walked over to the control board of his moody organ. „Instead of saving,“ he continued, „so that we can buy a real sheep instead of the electric imitation on top. An ordinary electric monster – that’s all I’ve come up with over the years.“ At the control panel, he hesitated between a thalamus silencer (which would put an end to his angry mood) and a thalamus booster (which would pump him up so that he could win the argument).

„If you set yourself up more angry,“ Iran warned him, her eyes open and attentive, „I’ll do it too. I’ll set it to the maximum and then you’ll experience a fight against which our arguments so far have been just friendly matches. Set it up and see. Just try it!“ She quickly got up, jumped to the console of her whimsical organ, and stood there; She stared at him and waited. He sighed, surrendering under such a threat. „I’ll order what I plan for today.“ He examined the schedule for January 3, 1992 and found that he was in a working, professional mood today. „If I order it as planned,“ he inquired cautiously, „will you do it too?“ He waited, careful not to put himself in danger until his wife agreed. „My plan for today is a six-hour self-blaming depression,“ Iran said. „What? Why did you plan this?“ This turned the whole purpose of the mood organ on its head. „I didn’t even know you could order such a thing,“ he said, taken aback.[39]

Part of the practice of Mercerism, as I mentioned, is Empathy, which manifested itself in the post-apocalyptic world of an alternate Earth in such a way that the people who remained longed, within the application of Mercerism, for any Living Creature. It was a practice that each family had an animal at home, which everyone took care of together, unfortunately, due to the fact that the catastrophe also affected the animal kingdom on a large scale, there were really few living animals in the world, so they were extremely rare, and so it was customary to replace live animals with robotic animals (called only in the comparison here by the author of the study to the other later creation of PKD as a simulacrum, [40] later  PKD devoted another novel to the Simulakra, [41] We Can Build You, 1972 – however, in the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? this word is not yet chosen to designate artificial animals).

This was compounded by the fact that not everyone could afford a real animal, so they chose another alternative.

It was a bit of an act of pretense, everyone knew that animals, real ones, were minimal, but from the point of view of practicing empathy, people needed to have a live animal, even as a sign that empathy was a law according to the prophet Wilbur Mercer, that it was a certain act of pretending, was a kind of tolerated custom, the world was not a place for a full life after all,  So at least finding a replacement for real life was a duty. Mercerism, which is a religion based on empathy, directly requires that each of its followers take care of the animal (real or artificial) that  they almost owned, and if a person  cannot afford his own animal, then it is considered immoral and anti-empathetic and the person becomes a social pariah.

But it didn’t stop at animals, corporations not only produced animal replacements on a large scale, they also produced replacement robotic humans in various production lines. Androids thus served as needed wherever there could not be humans, and also replaced production human units in factories and especially in other heavy activities – such as mining and processing raw materials (especially in space). The peculiarity was that while despite the difficulties, mankind usually valued artificial animals, androids were often despised and destroyed. In the process that society reached over time, mechanical animals and humans began to mix, making it difficult to identify. So if an android got out of control, an android hunter was sent to kill the android, who had a unit, i.e. to destroy the android. We know this role in the main character of the story, Rick Deckard.[42]

Mercerists must also show empathy for other individuals and thus work for the good of the remaining human community. If a person is not capable of empathy, he is on his way to the decision to be an android. However, distinguishing androids from humans requires the use of the Voigt-Kampff test. This test is often performed by a bounty hunter like Rick Deckard, who asks hypothetical questions about the harm or death of animals; However, the answer is not important. A bounty hunter analyzes the eye muscles and capillary response to determine whether the test person is an android or a test. [43] But there’s still the extreme question – does the test work reliably?

Important notes on animals in detail:

• In the company described in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? every household was expected to care for an animal, both as an object on which to direct their love/empathy and as an outward sign that they are good Mercerists. Surviving animals were expensive, and apart from small animals such as rabbits, it was hard to find, and having an expensive animal such as a goat was a certain status symbol (p. 79).

• When someone’s real animal died, often such an owner resorted to the fact that he bought an artificial replacement. Deckard did this when his sheep died (p. 9), but he was troubled that he did not have a real animal. But he knew that many people were in the same situation.

• Buying an artificial animal right away would be unacceptable to many people, as it would be difficult for them to form an empathetic bond with it (p. 18).

• Artificial animals are nowhere in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?  referred to as simulacrum, this word is tied to another novel in PKD.

• It was customary not to be too curious whether the animal of this or that neighbor was real or even really existed (p. 9).

• Something to think about: What is „almost“ owning an animal? People owned animals as well as other objects such as a refrigerator or television. I do not understand the remark unless it is an allusion to the fact that it is impossible to fully own a thinking being.

• What would and would not be moral and empathetic was obviously difficult. Deckard, who did not have a live animal, pointed out that it would be empathetic for a neighbor to sell him one of his animals (p. 9).[44]

• Heather Ferguson’s comment: „It seems that all the actions of these future people are to live under the illusion that they have not lost their humanity. The characters buy electric animals, feel guilty because they’re not real, and spend all their time working to buy a real animal. This cycle gives people a superficial sense of meaning and pride. Owning an animal became Deckard’s main goal in life, simply to impress his neighbors. In fact, Rick’s motivation for everything is praise from others.“[45]

• Zenia Aguilera – Inadmissibility of mutilation of animals and spiders: „The inability of the androids to react in any way to the mutilation of a spider removes any speculation that they have reached a certain level of humanity. Pris, Irmgard and Ray dispassionately mutilate and torture the animal without any emotional response, either positive or negative. Their scientific distance is largely not a natural human reaction. What is the human reaction to killing an animal? They vary, of course, depending on the emotional attachment and the reasons for killing the animal. But even when trampled by a cockroach, a person feels disgust and, perhaps, a little satisfaction. The indifference of androids works by taking them away from human emotions, thereby distances them from the reader.“[46]

(4) Empathy and Andes (androids) – excerpt from the book

Sometimes, like most people, he wondered why an android would fail so helplessly when confronted with a test of empathy. Empathy, empathy, evidently existed only within the human community, while intelligence of some degree could be found in every biological phylum and order, including arachnids. First, the ability to empathize probably required an undiminished group instinct; a solitary creature, such as a spider, would have no use for it; In fact, it would interfere with the spider’s ability to survive. It would force him to realize that his victim desires life. Then all predators, even highly advanced mammals like cats, would starve.

Empathy, he once concluded, is certainly limited to herbivores or omnivores who can do without meat. Because ultimately, the ability to empathize blurs the boundaries between hunter and prey, between successful and loser. Just as in merging with Mercer, they all ascended together, or when the cycle came to an end, they sank together into the world of graves. Strangely enough, it resembled a kind of biological insurance policy, but a double-edged sword. As long as a creature experiences joy, there is a bit of joy in the mood of everyone else. But as soon as a living creature suffers, then others cannot get rid of the cloud completely. A social animal such as man thereby acquires a higher survival factor; Owl or cobra will be destroyed.

It was obvious that the humanoid robot represented a solitary predator.

Rick liked to think of them that way; it made his job better. In sending the Andians to rest—i.e., killing—he did not violate the rule of life established by Mercer. You only kill killers, Mercer told them the year the boxes of empathy first appeared on Earth. And in Mercerism, when it developed into a complete religion, the idea of the Killers developed insidiously. In Mercerism, absolute evil tugged at the shabby cloak of a stumbling old man climbing upwards, but it was never clear who or what evil was. Mercerist felt evil without understanding it. In other words, the Mercerist could place the nebulous presence of the Killers wherever it suited him.  To Rick Deckard, the evil was a runaway humanoid robot that killed its master, who was endowed with more intelligence than most human beings possessed, who had no regard for animals, who had no ability to feel empathetic joy at the success of another life form or the sadness of losing it—that embodied the Killers to Rick.[47]

In the novel adaptation, we also deal with how different society was in the description of the novel (and in the film adaptation); Although the time period is comparable to ours, but in fact it is quite futuristic compared to our reality, after all, robotics is not on such a development today that androids can replace humans in many fields, so far everything is developing promisingly, but the novel moves this development forward by at least fifty or more years. This brings us to a point where people in this period of time seem to be dependent on technology, even permeated with technology. This addiction is beyond the point of total obsession or even religious worship, where one cannot live without technological equipment. Could this be a frightening possibility for humanity for our future now on Earth? This raises a difficult question – how likely is the version that we humans will need to adopt technology and own it to such an extent that we ourselves become machines? Philip Kindred Dick had already dealt with this question, and thus quite a bit ahead of his time, today this question is being addressed, including a detailed examination from the point of view of ethics within the philosophy of Transhumanism[48].

Important notes about the Andoids in detail:

• The androids were a modified version of the Synthetic Freedom Fighter (p. 11). The Rosen Association (probably a reference to Čapek’s R.U.R.) produced them in automatic factories (autofac) on Mars.[49]

• Androids were used as servants and workers in the colonies (p. 11). How they were treated is not directly described, but they performed hard work in an „uninhabitable world“ (p. 87). In some cases, the androids rebel, kill their masters, and flee to Earth, where they are hunted down by police-hired bounty hunters like Deckard (p. 87).

• The euphemism retire was used to destroy escaped androids.

• Artificial organic humans are still a very distant future today, if such technology ever exists. In general, PKD set its stories in such a near future that the necessary technologies such as interplanetary travel would hardly have time to develop. I would say that he wanted the plots to be as provocative and touching as possible.

• Critical note: The question of people relying on technology for basic needs is far more relevant today. I probably wouldn’t talk about how to be steeped in technology – not even today or in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?  They weren’t cyborgs – but we certainly see how much we rely on smartphones, for example, for everyday tasks.

• Heather Ferguson’s comment on the subject: „Humans have become willingly submissive to the machines they have created, but at the same time demonize those creations that most resemble them. They try to distance themselves from realizing that they are no better than androids. Rick Deckard realizes this throughout the book. When he describes replicants, he often seems to be describing himself. „The humanoid robot represented a lone predator“ (p. 27), and so was Deckard. I think when Deckard tells himself that everything around him has become unnatural and he feels defeated, it’s because he finally has to come to terms with reality. Along with most other people, he lived an unnatural existence controlled by machines and came to terms with it. When he climbs the hill alone, there is no way to deny himself the truth. When he reaches the top of the hill and dreams that he sees Mercer, he is horrified to discover that it is only his shadow. He is alone and has nothing to prove to anyone but himself. Deckard runs down the hill, trying not to come to terms with his changing view of Mercerism and himself. He still wants to talk to Dave Holden to boast that he has retired six replicants. As if he needed reassurance that what he had done was good and right. Deckard can only do things for recognition and without thinking.“[50]

• The conflict between science and God in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by author Ann Y. Mous: „Society has created a race of androids in the novel that are so ingenious that it is almost impossible to distinguish them from humans. Androids, although outwardly similar to humans, were designed to differ from humans, specifically in their emotions. Emotions are an integral part of life, but designers do not allow androids to do this part of life. Androids are not supposed to have any emotions or thoughts other than those specially programmed into them. As a result, androids have disproportionate emotional reactions. For example, Prisa’s reaction to Isidore’s gesture of welcome. Isidore says of  her, „Now that her initial fear has diminished, something else has begun to appear in her. Something stranger. And, as he thought, regrettable. Cold… It wasn’t what she did or said, but what she didn’t do or say.“  [Dick, p. 67] The most obvious difference is empathy. Androids have no empathy for anything, unlike humans, who may have empathy for other humans, animals, or, in Deckard’s case, even, androids. However, this lack of empathy makes androids dangerous to assimilate with humans, since it hinders the normal social development of ethics and morality. Pris, for example, mutilates a spider for a purely logical reason; it’s an experiment to see if a spider could work as effectively with two legs as with eight.  Another example is Rachel’s murder of a defenseless and innocent goat. However, it is not only the deliberately designed characteristics of androids that are dangerous, but also the unpredictable attributes that develop independently of them. Among other functions, androids were created to provide something like slave labor to off-world colonists. An advertisement in the novel describes their presence as „duplicates of the golden days of the Southern states before the Civil War!“  The androids, which were destined to be slavery in the world of colonies, apparently developed a need for freedom.  This human trait should not exist with them, but it does.  In fact, it exists in sufficient power to provoke them to kill in order to gain freedom. Since it is illogical to program the instinct of freedom into objects that function like slaves, this property had to evolve independently. Android programmers have lost control of them. In fact, the degree of control deteriorates when their position is reversed; Androids no longer serve man, but man serves them. Deckard compares androids to artificial animals: “ … A real hatred for his electric sheep, which he had to take care of, which he had to take care of, as if it were alive, was manifested within him again. The tyranny of the subject, as he thought. … Like androids, she did not have the ability to appreciate the existence of the other. It had never occurred to him before that it was a resemblance between an electric animal and the Andes.“  [Dick p. 42] Isidore literally begins to serve the androids, becoming their servant, informant and protector. Androids are no longer exactly what programmers intended; Moreover, they have become so dangerous that they need to be hunted.“[51]

• Zenia Aguilera – The inability of androids to understand the importance of the belief system for humanity: „Another point that undermines the theme of this book is the inability of androids to understand the importance of the belief system for humanity. I am referring to a set of moral principles associated with a common experience that both atheists and believers encounter. It is accepted in our society, whether we believe in a god or not, that it is wrong to murder in cold blood, that we should not take anything that is not ours, that we are born from an egg and a sperm. Experience and morality, so ingrained that if someone came to us (as a society) and told us that stealing, murdering is okay, and that we miraculously emerged from the dust that was implanted in the womb of our mothers, we would not believe it. Mercerism in Androids gives humanity experience, morality and hope. He told people that they were part of something bigger than themselves at a time when society was in decline. Whether this is true or not is not the issue. The question is whether Mercerism gives hope and makes people part of something more important. Because the androids couldn’t understand it, it separated them from humanity and eventually led to their downfall.“[52]

The Last Touch of Mercerism:

• In the true context of the study of religion and spirituality found in the works of PKD, it is important to state that Mercerism is an artificial religion, thus an artificial construct of the author.

• This does not change the fact that Neo-Gnostic thinking is sown in it, where Empathy (with humans, androids, and animals is put on top, PKD thus creates an absolute emphasis that in order to remain human, one must really show Empathy.

• Where a person remains without Empathy, he falls into the abyss of inhumanity and denies his own existence, for which Empathy is the basic guideline of life. He repeats this philosophy of PKD again and again in various ways in his short stories and novels. In the end, it does not matter if Mercerism is just an artificial construct using futuristic technologies, because what is essential takes place in the soul of man, and for PKD Neo-Gnostics, the art of Empathy is the basis of life direction. Purposeful Empathy for others alone does not make us machines.

• The core is therefore the idea of whether I am an empathetic person to others, whether I am also an empathetic person to animals and plants, and whether I can push my boundaries as the development in society moves closer to the technological future.

• In stark contrast to this is encounters with people who have forgotten to be human and no longer show any capacity for empathy, becoming cold monsters; Encounters with people like this always mark one inwardly, that coldness, that steely coldness of the inability to understand that there are boundaries, a red line beyond which it is no longer good to move. The cold, the steely coldness of androids unable to pass the test of humanity is a warning that in the end, it is not androids who pass the test of humanity and man, in his insane decay, becomes the one who immerses himself in the absolute coldness of an indifferent unempathetic individual.

• Critical note: Spirituality and religion can be beneficial, but beware of traps like hypocrisy, which I would call one of the main stumbling blocks in Mercerism. I would probably point out that although Mercerism has elements of the PKD worldview, we should not take Mercerism as a guide to how to do things right. In particular, the rationalization about killing Killers has consistently disturbed me.

• Critical note: Here I would add my personal view – we must earn being „human“ if we allow ourselves to lose the qualities that define humanity, we deserve to fall and be replaced by someone more worthy of that status.

Critical question: I don’t understand what is meant by „is on the way to the decision to be an android“.  Is it meant figuratively? Man definitely cannot become an android physically.

• Yes, a person cannot become an android physically, it really is not possible, but mentally he can become an android. It is not just a question of psychopathy, but real behavior towards other people at the level of individuals. People can consciously choose to treat others badly and coldly, and not to treat them as equals. And so, if they choose a similar path, they eventually become only a husk of humanity, outwardly human skin and flesh, but inside a steel skeleton of inhuman madness.

• PKD also pleased me with one thing: it considers the values of religion to be beneficial, and empathy can become a pillar of Neo-Gnosticism or Dickian Neo-Gnosticism (Phildickian Gnosticism) and can show exactly what we cannot do without on our religious path – humanity, empathic humanity.

• It is true that we are not all connected now and we feel everything the same, our society is evolving towards individualism, which is good, but it must also have its limits within the framework of connection with others, and finally, let’s not forget Dick’s (Christ’s) reminder of love for enemies, even there Mercerism is a wonderful example that even in the end unconnected human individuals will be kind to each other and will provide each other with support in the difficult crisis of Life.

• „Here, religion is seen as a threat to all political systems; That is why it is also a kind of political system, perhaps even a finite one. The concept of caritas (or agape) appears in my writing as the key to the authentic person. An android that is an inauthentic person, a mere reflective machine, is incapable of experiencing empathy. In this story, it is never clear whether Mercer is an attacker from some other world. But it has to be; In a sense, all religious leaders are… But not from another planet as such.“[53]

• Is it interesting to watch the characters in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and  their inability, or at least unwillingness, to function without artificial brain stimulation and how they replace real interpersonal relationships with an „electric Jesus“ in the form of Mercer and the Empathy Box. Replacing live contact with technology-enabled and filtered contact has become a much more real topic in recent years as a result of the pandemic. How far are we from our version of black boxes on empathy?

(5) Why does Buddy Buster keep making fun of Mercerism? – Excerpt from the book:

Why does Buddy Buster keep making fun of Mercerism?  No one else seemed to mind; even the UN had agreed.  And U.S. and Russian police have publicly stated that Mercerism has reduced crime by making citizens care more about the welfare of their neighbors. Humanity needs more empathy, Titus Corning, the UN Secretary General, has said several times.  Buster must be jealous, Isidore concluded. Sure, that would be an explanation; Wilbur Mercer competes with him.

But why is that? For the sake of our minds, Isidore concluded. They fight for the ability to control our mental selves; on one side of the box of empathy, on the other Buster’s screams and mocking remarks. I’ll have to tell Hannibal Sloat, he decided. And I ask him if it’s true; He will know.[54]

(6) Is Mercerism a scam? – Excerpt from the book:

Buddy Buster said, „We’ll probably never know. We can’t even imagine the bizarre reasons behind this deception. Yes, folks, deception, Mercerism is a scam!“

„I think we know,“ Roy Baty said.  „It’s clear. Mercerism arose—“

„But think about it,“ Buddy Buster continued, „ask yourself what it is that causes Mercerism. Well, if we are to believe his numerous followers, it is an experience of fusion—“

„That’s the empathy that humans have,“ Irmgard said, „men and women all over the solar system into a single being. But a being who is controlled by a so-called telepathic voice, Mercera‘.  Notice this. Some ambitious, politically minded would-be Hitler might-„

„No, it’s the empathy,“ Irmgard said animatedly. Fists clenched, she walked into the kitchen, behind Isidore.  „Isn’t that a way to prove that people can do something we can’t? Because when we don’t have an experience with Mercer, we only have your word that you feel that empathy, some community. How is the spider?“  Pris leaned over her shoulder.

Pris cut off another leg with scissors. „He has four left,“ she said. She poked the spider. „He doesn’t want to lick. But he could.“

Roy Baty appeared in the doorway, taking a deep breath, an expression of satisfaction on his face. „That’s it. Buster said it out loud, and almost everyone in the system heard him. Mercerism is a fraud.‘ The whole experience of empathy is a scam.“ He came closer and looked curiously at the spider.[55]

Sources used:

The study used analyses from these sources, they were mostly not quoted accurately, but paraphrased and supplemented with the latest findings of the author of the article, but it is fair to state the sources for the article in a comprehensive form to be created in this way. The list of sources also changed after the release of the article version – 1) Complete study with sources: Dickian (new) gnosticism (Phildickian gnosticism) in practice: Mercerism (Blade Runner) as a religion Empathy (3) – April 2021; 2) Dickian Neo-Gnosticism in practice – Mercerism as a religion of Empathy – version 2.0 – August 2022.

• SEDL, J.; Uroboros: Dickian (New) Gnosticism in Practice: Mercerism (Blade Runner) as a Religion of Empathy (1)
• SEDL, J.; Uroboros: Dickian (Neo) Gnosticism in Practice: Mercerism (Blade Runner) in the Texts of the Novel (2)
• SEDL, J.; Complete study with sources: Dickian (new) Gnosticism in practice: Mercerism (Blade Runner) as a religion Empathy (3) – April 2021
• DICK, Philip K. Blade runner: Androids dream of electric sheep. Prague: W. Smith, 1993. Science fiction (Winston Smith). ISBN 80-85643-07-3.
• DICK, Philip K. The Golden Man. Plzeň: Laser, 1995. Edition SF. ISBN 80-7193-008-3.
• Causality of Mercerism in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep By Jazmyne Lones
• An Introduction to Christian Theology (Rep.). (n.d.). Retrieved November 2, 2016, from Intro to Christian Theology.
• Azar, B. (2010, December). A Reason to Believe. Retrieved November 2, 2016, from Reason to Believe.
• Correll, D. J. (2015, October 23). Is Society Too Dependent on Computers/Phones? Retrieved November 03, 2016, from Society Dependency.
• Dick, P. K. (1968). Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Del Rey Books.
• Lejla, K. (2006). Philip K. Dick: Canonical Writer of the Digital Age. Retrieved October 22, 2016 from Digital Age.
• Longo, D., et al (2011). Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional, 18. Retrieved October 22, 2016 from Internal Medicine.
• Palumbo, D. (2013). Faith and Bad Faith in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? The Journal of Popular Culture, 46(6), 1276-1288. doi:10.1111/jpcu.12088 Faith and Bad Faith.
• Viskovic, R. (2013). The Rise and Fall of Wilbur Mercer. Extrapolation, 54(2), 163-182. doi:10.3828/extr.2013.10 Rise & Fall of Mercer.
• Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick – review – https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2015/apr/07/review-do-androids-dream-of-electric-sheep-phillip-k-dick
• Causality of Mercerism in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep By Jazmyne Lones – (Article source no longer exists)
• Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep – by Heather Ferguson; Source – https://www.csus.edu/indiv/t/tanakar/190c2/output/htrand.htm
• The Conflict Between Science and God in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep; Ann Y. Mous; Source – https://www.csus.edu/indiv/t/tanakar/190c2/output/goddroid.htm

Subversive Element vs State Guardians

The situation described in The Little Black Box contains a number of elements that repeatedly appear in other stories and novellas by P. K. Dick. The main characters initially go through their normal daily routine, but they come across a so-called high game, where life and maybe even the future of civilization as we know it is at stake. In the background of the world, there is a struggle between the disruptive element, trying to bring about change, and the guardians of the status quo, who will stop at nothing to prevent change. On the contrary, the physical elimination of inconvenient persons is one of the main procedures for these often paramilitary-organized officials. Rather, the prevailing situations in novels are when the disruptive element tries to change for the better and unscrupulous agents try to prevent it at all costs. Perhaps the most obvious examples would be The Man in the High Castle and VALIS/Radio Free Albemuth.

Short stories tend to be more experimental, and perhaps change is not necessarily for the better. Sometimes it’s a real threat, sometimes even a form of unconventional military attack, as in War Games‘ short story about a subversive board game. It is quite possible that Mercerism or the associated Empathy box described in The Little Black Box is just such an unconventional attack. According to biographer Lawrence Sutin, the Empathy box plot was part of the novel The Ganymede Takeover (both works also feature the character of Joan Hiashi). The State Department’s concern about the emerging situation seems a little more justified in this context. On the other hand, it is possible that  the Empathy box would have been a tool of resistance against the totalitarian regime in the spirit of The Man in the High Castle. The Ganymede Takover was even supposed to be a sequel to TMITHC, with the Japanese in place of the Ganymedans. Let’s analyze what we learn in the story itself. In the introduction, the word „caritas“ – the Latin word for „compassion“ often used in Christianity – is mentioned. This is certainly no coincidence, because compassion is also a major virtue in the later mentioned Zen Buddhism and Mercerism (in the form of empathy). Perhaps even the name „Mercer“ has a hidden meaning in this by its resemblance to „mercy“ – mercy. In this sense, it would seem that the influence of Mercerism on society will be positive.

In connection with the use of the Empathy box, however, we have a rather disturbing picture. When using the  Empathy box, people collectively share Mercer’s pain and suffering. The exact function  of the Empathy box is not explained, but its use has a very transformative effect on people. In both Joan and Crofts, the first use caused a significant change in view of the situation. It seems that the result may be a certain inner reconciliation, associated with apathy. Mr. Lee, who has perhaps the most pertinent observations of the characters about Mercerism, comments that the use of the Empathy box has a similar effect on people as some drugs, and mentions Paracodein (which would probably cause weak sedation and consequently induce a good mood). This coincides with the Cuban in the restaurant, who apparently appeared to be „high.“ Mr. Lee is a telepath and also compares the experience of using  an Empathy box to the intimate telepathic „touch of the minds“ of two telepaths, something that normal people usually cannot experience.

The thoughts of one person using an Empathy box can be felt by other people who are also connected at that moment. Joan talks to Meritan about how they lack „suffering“ in their lives and that this absence prevents them from experiencing the joy of life. Mediated suffering through the Empathy box would thus offer an escape from this „lack“. Furthermore, it is apparently possible to see Mercer directly in the vision induced by the E mpathy box and even talk to him. If Mercer is injured in the vision during his journey, it can physically harm the connected people at that moment.

This raises concerns about what will happen to the connected humans when Mercer is eventually killed. When, at the end of the story, the government bans the postal distribution of Empathy  boxes by Wilcer Inc. (WILbur merCER) on the grounds that they endanger health, it turns out that the person behind the Empathy boxes probably already counted on it and immediately starts distributing instructions to people

„How to build an Empathy box from commonly available items“ packed in boxes of cereal handed out by street vendors.

In the novella Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, we again encounter Mercerism, which is set in a significantly different environment in almost the opposite role. Planet Earth has been devastated by the third, the Finite, world inpeace. The surface was contaminated by radiation for decades, a large part of the population perished, and the bulk of those who survived chose  to emigrate to colonies on neighboring planets, where life is harsh, but without the ubiquitous radioactive fallout. Whether they have left or stayed, they have to overcome many obstacles and also separations, when it is difficult to meet and even those who can meet often close in on themselves. Skepticism about a situation that will improve for future generations is pervasive.

Mercerism in this world sometime between the war and the plot of the story became the main philosophical direction in society. „Fusion“ using the Empathy box, where people experience Wilbur Mercer’s never-ending climb up a rocky hill together, and the sharing and spillover of thoughts, both positive and negative, between connected people has become an established ritual practiced by almost everyone. In a world without telepaths, the possibility of such a mind fusion is undoubtedly a unique experience. But it seems tohave less influence on people than in TLBB – it’s more of a routine thing, without such a violent impact that induces religious ecstasy. It’s possible that this is because these people have been going through a merger for a number of years, whereas TLBB was often their very first experience. A larger role is also played by the philosophy based on Mercer’s worldview, which holds that people should be empathetic to other living beings. They should feel compassion for their neighbors and also for animals, which are very rare and valued after the war. This philosophy and related activities are one of the main elements of post-war culture. Other important features are watching the continuously broadcast TV show Buster Friendly and using the Penfield mood organ, which directly remotely evokes the user’s chosen mood by broadcasting certain waves affecting the brain.

These three elements compete with each other to some extent. Mercerism appears to be the most beneficial to society, Buster Friendly – or rather, the one  who is actually behind the production of the show – seems to have ulterior motives, and the whimsical organ has the potential to be straightforwardly harmful to the way narcotics are used. Mercersism is probably the dominant element, and quite possibly the last thing, that prevents human civilization from completely disintegrating and perishing. Itallows people to remind themselves that they are not alone in the world and that they should keep trying, even when it seems hopeless – just as Mercer, their model of correct, empathetic, behavior has done and is doing. In this sense, Buster Friendly appears to be rather soulless and offer nothing concrete, except to claim that Mercer is a hoax and his „religion“ is a hoax.  The protagonist of the story is Rick Deckard, who works for the police as a bounty hunter. However, he is not looking for humans, but for „angels“ – androids, artificial people who are used in non-terrestrial colonies for work. They sometimes rebel, flee and, in some cases, fly to Earth to hide. Such angels are then sought after by hunters like Rick to „retire“ (a euphemism for physical destruction). Although Andians are organic, they are not considered alive – their destruction is not considered manslaughter. Even so, Deckard sometimes doubts the correctness of his work. Especially when his wife Iran is mentally down and has hysterical outbursts about being a murderer. Sometimes he wonders if he could do another job or even emigrate to the colony. But he has been hitchhiking for many years, he is even one of the best at it and the rewards are fat. Any change would be risky, and risk is one of the things they try to avoid.

Like a good Mercerist, he takes care of an animal, a sheep. However, it bothers him that it is only artificial – the real one died some time ago. He receives an offer from his boss to track down several escaped androids of the latest series, whose behavior is almost indistinguishable from humans. Rick doubts that accepting the task is a good idea, especially after he actually encounters one of these androids and the andik seems very human. In addition, it seems that the situation around the escape of these andies is much more complicated than what the message they sent him says. However, with the prospect of a great reward for which he could buy a real animal, he finally sets out to search.

Meanwhile, elsewhere, mentally disabled John Isidor, who lives in a nearly deserted apartment complex, is convinced of how hard it can be to tell the real from the artificial. A girl called Pris and some of their friends move into the complex. Lonely John tries to help them settle in. In an unguarded moment, however, he is surprised to find out that they are Andies. Actually, he doesn’t mind. Because of his disability, people see him as inferior, like androids.

Meanwhile, Rick tracked down and destroyed several of the andies. But it was harder for him than usual. He wonders if it’s because they’re almost like humans or just because some of them had attractive female bodies. Rachael, the Andian who was supposed to help him track down the escaped angels, tries to seduce him and confides in him that this is part of a plan to manipulate the hunters so that the angels are no longer willing to kill. Deckard is unsure, but in the end, alone, without Rachael, he sets out to confront a group of remaining andies in the apartment complex where John Isidor lives.

Meanwhile, John ran afoul of the Andies when Buster Friendly broadcast a report on his TV show discrediting the origins of Mercerism. It turned out that previously quite friendly andies despise him as much as humans, maybe even more. John is confused and doesn’t understand why the Empathy box is so bothered by Mercerism. It almost certainly has to do with the fact that, unlike humans, Andes can’t  use the Empathy box.

In the hallway, Rick nervously approached the inhabited apartments. Suddenly, he sees Wilbur Mercer in front of him – he has appeared to him beyond vision, which should not be possible. Mercer encourages Rick, says the Andies must be destroyed, and even points out where one of the andies is lurking hidden. With strengthened determination, Deckard destroys all the angels, even Pris, who looks just like Rachael. Exhausted, he returns home, where he learns that while he was away, Rachael has come and killed a real goat that he bought in installments earlier that day. He’s devastated, he gets in the car and flies away – just away.

He stops in the wilderness outside the city and wonders what recent events mean. He gets out of the car and in a moment of existential crisis he feels like he is Mercer. That maybe he can connect with Mercer so much that he will then appear in the physical world… But how to disconnect again? Being Mercer all the time would have to be a terrible ordeal. At that moment, he notices that a toad, Mercer’s favorite animal, has moved in the solidified mud nearby. This only confirms that he really is Mercer. But after closer examination of the toad, he calms down – the toad is artificial and he will be able to return to normal life. Still, he feels he has found something special on his journey into the wilderness. He is returning home to himself, and it looks like there may have been some change for the better in his relationship with Iran.

Mercerism – 1st extract of Holy Texts to Teach Empathy (book Do Androids Dream of Electronic Sheep?)

Source of citations: DICK, Philip K. Blade runner: androids dream of electric sheep. Prague: W. Smith, 1993. Science fiction (Winston Smith). ISBN 80-85643-07-3; electronic version.

Content:

1. „Absence of adequate affect“ (p.2)
2. „Setting Penfield’s Artificial Brain Stimulation“ (p. 2)
3. „The Legacy of the Final World War“ (p. 3)
4. „Animal Ownership“ (p. 3)
5. „A living and artificial animal“ (p. 4)
6. „What is in Mercerism TABU“ (p. 4)
7. „The Definition of Modern Slavery“ (p. 5)
8. „[1] Loss of Humanity“ (p. 5)
9. „[2] Loss of humanity“ (p. 6)
10.  „The Definition of Deadly Silence after the Final World War“ (p. 6)
11.  „One day Death will come for Him“ (p. 7)
12.   „Isidore’s fusion with Mercer“ (p. 7; 8)
13.   „Man and Android – The Difference“ (p. 10)
14.   „What are Androids missing?“ (p. 10)
15.   „The Capacity for Empathy“ (p. 10)
16.   „False pretext to defend killing androids“ (p. 10)
17.   „When a Man Fails“ (p. 12)
18.   „The True Beast and the Tyranny of the Cause“ (p. 14)
19.   „The First Law of Junk“ (p. 21)
20.  „The Laws of Mercerism – The Box of Empathy“ (p. 21)
21.   „Who is Wilbur Mercer?“ (p. 21)
22.   „Isidore’s Secret Thoughts“ (p. 23)
23.   „False Messengers‘ Testimonies Against Mercerism“ (p. 24)
24.   „Other Testimonies of False Messengers Against Mercerism“ (p. 24)
25.   „The Closed Cycle of Life According to Mercer“ (p. 25)
26.   „[1] Misuse of the Penfield Wave Transmitter“ (p. 28)
27.   „Time“ (p. 31)
28.   „Victoria Christy’s poem – Sub Specie Oeternitatis“ (p. 31)
29.   „The Cold of Androids“ (p. 32)
30.   „[1] How far does the replacement of humans by androids extend? Aren’t we all just cold surrogates anymore?“ (p. 32)
31.   „[2] How far does the replacement of humans by androids extend? Aren’t we all just cold surrogates anymore?“ (p. 36)
32.  „Empathy among androids“ (p. 39)
33.   „Ideology“ (p. 45)
34.   „Life“ (p. 46)
35.  „Mercer Ethics“ (p. 47)
36.  „Feelings from the colonization of Mars“ (p. 48)
37.  „Feelings from the colonization of the Universe“ (p. 48)
38.  „This is against Mercerism!“ (pp. 50; 51)
39.  „[2] Misuse of the Penfield Wave Transmitter“ (p. 52)
40.  „Depression“ (p. 52)
41.  „[1] The Inner Life of Mercerist“ (pp. 55; 56)
42.  „[2] The Inner Life of Mercerist“ (p. 57)
43.  „Roy Baty“ (p. 59)
44.  „The Horror of the Life Cycle“ (p. 59)
45.  „The Feeling of Androids“ (p. 60)
46.  „Man Created Modern Slaves“ (p. 62)
47.  „The Limitation of Life“ (p. 63)
48.  „How the Flame of Life Goes Out“ (p. 64)
49.  „Extreme incident with the spider; the mockery of Mercerism and the false revelations of Mercer“ (p. 66)
50.  „Mercerism – Disclosure?“ (p. 67)
51.  „Mercerism is not over“ (p. 68)
52.  „The Revelation of Isidore“ (pp. 68; 69)
53.  „Afflictions“ (p. 72)
54.   „[1] The Revelation of Rick Deckard“ (pp. 73; 74)
55.  „I Am Wilbur Mercer“ (p. 75)
56.   „[2] The Revelation of Rick Deckard“ (p. 76)
57.   „[3] The Revelation of Rick Deckard“ (pp. 77; 78)

• „Absence of adequate affect“ – So even though I heard the emptiness with my mind, I did not feel it. My first reaction was gratitude that we could afford a moody organ. But then I realized how unhealthy it is to feel the absence of life, not just in this building, but everywhere, and not react in any way – you know? Probably not. This used to be considered a symptom of mental illness; It was called ‚the absence of adequate affect‘.  (p.2)
• „Penfield’s Artificial Brain Stimulation Setting“ – On his console, he set up a creative and fresh approach to work, even when he didn’t particularly need it; it was his usual, natural mood, for which he did not need the crutch of Penfield’s artificial brain stimulation.  (p. 2)
• „Legacy of the Final World War“ – The legacy of the final world war lost its strength; those who could not survive the dust fell into oblivion years ago, and the dust that thinned over time and harassed the surviving individuals only eroded the brains and genetic makeup.  (p. 3)
• „Owning an animal“ – Possessing and holding an imitation had something demoralizing about it. Still, it was socially desirable, given the scarcity of real goods.  (p. 3)
• „A living and artificial animal“—“But,“ Rick interrupted, „when you have two horses and I have none, it directly violates the foundations of the theological and moral structure of Mercerism.“ „You have your sheep; Hell, you can experience Ascension in your life, and if you grab both handles of empathy, you will achieve it honestly. If you didn’t have the old sheep, I would see some logic in your attitude. Sure, if I had two animals and you had none, I would be preventing you from really merging with Mercer.  (p. 4)
• „What’s TABU in Mercerism“ – „But then they would look down on you. Not all, but some do. You know what people do when someone doesn’t take care of an animal; They consider it immoral and heartless. I mean, technically, it’s not a crime like it was just after World War II, but the feeling is still there.“  (p. 4)
• The „Definition of Modern Slavery“ – Synthetic Freedom Fighter; A humanoid robot capable of operating on an alien planet – an organic android to be precise – has become a mobile auxiliary machine of the colonization program. According to UN law, each emigrant automatically acquired the type of android of their choice, and by 2019 the diversity of their subspecies exceeded all expectations, just as it was with American cars in the sixties.  (p. 5)
• „[1] Loss of Humanity“ – Once a person was labeled a special, he was no longer counted on, even if he agreed to sterilization. He ceased to belong to the people.  (p. 5)
• „[2] Loss of humanity“ – John Isidore thought sourly: And he disappeared with me too, I didn’t even have to emigrate. He’d been a special for over a year, and not just in terms of the jumbled genes he carried. Worse, he failed to pass the test of minimum mental abilities, so according to popular parlance he was a cripple.  (p. 6)
• „The Definition of Deadly Silence after the Final World War“ – Silence. It came out of the paneling and walls; It rushed at it with terrible, irresistible force, as if it had been made by a huge mill. It rose from the floor, seeping from the worn-out gray carpet laid from wall to wall. It freed itself from broken or battered equipment in the kitchen, from dead machines that hadn’t worked once in the entire time Isidore had lived here. It pulled from a useless floor lamp in the living room, mingling with the empty and silent silence that descended from the ceiling stained with shells. In fact, it emanated from every object that Isidore had in his sight, as if—the silence—wanted to squeeze out all tangible things. It attacked not only his ears, but also his eyes; As he stood next to the impassive television, he had the feeling that the silence was visible and alive in a way. Lives! He had often felt himself approaching inexorably before; When it came, it burst in without scruples, unable to wait. The silence of the world could not restrain its greed. Anymore. Especially when it really won.  (p. 6)
• „One day Death will come for Him“ – At that time he himself will naturally be dead – another interesting event that he could contemplate while standing in his crumbling living room with the unconscious, all-pervasive, violent silence of the planet.  (p. 7)
• „Isidore’s fusion with Mercer“ – She was  waiting for him, out there, that force that he felt was inexorably penetrating his private apartment. God, he thought, and closed the door. He wasn’t ready to go up the rattling stairs to the empty roof, where he had no animal. The echo multiplied: an echo of nothingness. High time to grab the handles, he told himself, and walked through the living room to the Black Box of Empathy. When he turned it on, the usual faint smell of negative ions gushed out of the power unit; He breathed eagerly, his mood had already improved. Then the tube lit up with a cathode ray like a vague television image; A collage appeared, made up of randomly selected colors, stripes, and patterns that represented nothing until he grasped the handles. So he took a deep breath to calm himself down and gripped the handles tightly. The pattern took shape; Immediately he saw the familiar landscape, a shabby, brown, bare slope with tufts of dried sedge, stretching the bony scapes diagonally into the murky sky without the sun. A solitary figure, more or less human in appearance, climbed the slope with difficulty: it was an older man in dull, shapeless clothing, clothing as poor as if he had been snatched from the hostile emptiness of heaven. The man, Wilbur Mercer, trudged forward, and John Isidore clutched the handles, feeling that the living room in which he stood was disappearing; The crumbling furniture and walls receded until he stopped noticing them entirely. Instead, he found, as he had done so many times before, that he was entering a land of desolate hill and desolate sky. And at the same time, he stopped following the older man’s path. Now his own feet slid, seeking support among the familiar wobbling stones; He felt the familiar unpleasant, unusually rough ground beneath his feet, and again he felt the burning aftertaste falling from heaven – which was not earthly, but belonged to another, distant world, but was nevertheless within reach thanks to the box of empathy. He arrived by the usual wondrous process at a physical fusion—accompanied by mental and spiritual identification—with Wilbur Mercer. Just as it happened to everyone who was clutching their handles at this moment, whether here on Earth or on some colonized planet. He felt them, the others, the subsumed whispering of their thoughts, he heard in his brain the noise of many of their existences. Everyone—even he—cared about one thing; Their intertwined minds focused their attention on the hill, on the ascent, on the need to climb. They all moved step by step, so slowly that the movement was almost imperceptible. But he was unmistakable. Higher, he thought as the rocks rattled beneath his feet. Today we are higher than yesterday, and tomorrow – he, part of Wilbur Mercer’s composite figure, looked up at the slope in front of him. It is impossible, to get to the end. It’s too far. But one day it will come. A stone flew from above and hit him in the arm. He felt pain. He half turned and another stone flew by, this time missing him; He hit the ground, and the sound startled him. Who? He wondered, straining to see his tormentor. Old adversaries, appearing on the periphery of vision; They followed him all the way up the hill and wouldn’t leave him until he reached the top… He remembered the summit, the sudden levelling of the slope, when he stopped climbing and the second part began. How many times has he done it? Memories of those few cases became hazy; the future and the past became cloudy; What he had already experienced, and what he might yet experience, had become so mixed that nothing remained but the present moment, when he stood quietly resting, rubbing the wound on his arm caused by the stone. God, he thought wearily. Where is any justice? Why am I alone up here, and I’m bothered by someone I can’t even see? And then, in him, the confused chatter of the others broke the illusion of loneliness. You feel it too, he thought. Yes, the voices answered. It hit us in the left arm; It hurts like hell. Okay, he said. We’d better get back up. He stepped forward again, and everyone immediately joined him. Once, he recalled, it was different. Before the curse came, it was the older, happier part of life. His foster parents, Frank and Cora Mercer, found him floating in an inflatable rubber dinghy off the coast of New England… or was it Mexico, near the port of Tampico? He no longer remembered the circumstances. Childhood was nice, loved life, especially animals; In truth, for a time he could summon dead animals to life, in the form they had once had. He lived with rabbits and beetles, wherever it was, on Earth or on a colonized planet; He’d forgotten about that now, too. But he remembered the killers, because they locked him up as a pervert, worse special than the others. And because of that, everything changed. Local law abolished the right to return the time by which the dead could return to life; They explained this to him when he was sixteen years old. He continued secretly for another year in the remnants of the woods, but an old woman whom he had never seen or heard of said it to him. Without his parents‘ consent, they bombed a unique nodule that had formed in his brain, attacked him with radioactive cobalt, and it threw him into another world he had never known existed. It was a pit full of corpses and bones, and he had been trying to get out for years. The donkey, and especially the toad, the creatures that were most important to him, disappeared, died out; Only rotting remains remained, here a head without eyes, a piece of limb there. Finally, a bird that had come to die there told him where he was. He fell into the world of the grave. He could not get out until the bones scattered around him turned back into living beings; He has become part of the metabolism of other lives, and until those lives come into being, neither can he. How long this part of the cycle lasted, he no longer knew; Actually, nothing happened, so it was immeasurable. But eventually, the bones began to coat again with flesh; The empty eye sockets filled and new eyes looked through, and meanwhile the renewed beaks and mouths squawked, barked, and meowed. Maybe he caused it; Perhaps the extrasensory nodule in the brain eventually grew again. Or maybe it wasn’t his job; It was very likely a natural process. In any case, he didn’t sink any further; He began to climb, and the others with him. He had long since lost sight of them. He found himself climbing alone. But here they were. They were always with him; He felt them, so strangely, inside himself. Isidore stood and held on to the handles, feeling that he had all living beings within him, and then reluctantly let go. It had to end, as it always did, and his hand still hurt, bleeding where the stone hit him.   (p. 7; 8)
• „Man and android – the difference“ – After a while of reading, he agreed with Miss Marsten; Nexus-6 actually had two trillion elements plus a choice within ten million possible combinations of cerebral activity. In forty-five hundredths of a second, an android equipped with such a brain structure could assume any of the fourteen basic reaction postures. Such an angel would not be caught by any intelligence test. But intelligence tests haven’t caught an angel for years, ever since the ancient, non-artificial types of the seventies of the twentieth century.  (p. 10)
• matter how intellectually powerful he was, couldn’t make sense of the fusion that occurs among Mercerists—something that Rick, like everyone else, including subnormal cripples, handled without difficulty.  (p. 10)
• „Empathy“ – Because ultimately the ability to empathize blurs the boundaries between hunter and prey, between successful and lost. Just as in merging with Mercer, they all ascended together, or when the cycle came to an end, they sank together into the world of graves.  (p. 10)
• „False pretext to defend killing androids“ – In sending the Andies to rest – i.e. killing – he did not violate the rule of life established by Mercer. You only kill killers, Mercer told them the year the boxes of empathy first appeared on Earth. And in Mercerism, when it developed into a complete religion, the idea of the Killers developed insidiously. In Mercerism, absolute evil tugged at the shabby cloak of a stumbling old man climbing upwards, but it was never clear who or what evil was. Mercerist felt evil without understanding it. In other words, the Mercerist could place the nebulous presence of the Killers wherever it suited him.  (p. 10)
• „When a man fails“—“St. Petersburg psychiatrists,“ Bryant interrupted impatiently, „think that a small group of people will not pass the Voigt-Kampff scale. If you tested them in regular police work, you would call them humanoid robots. You’d be wrong, but by then they’d be dead.“ He fell silent, waiting to see what Rick would say. „But these individuals,“ Rick said, „should all be—“ „They should all be in institutions,“ Bryant agreed. „They couldn’t function well in a normal world; They would certainly be recognizable as advanced psychotics – unless, of course, their illness broke out recently and unexpectedly and no one around them noticed.  (p. 12)
• „The Real Animal and the Tyranny of the Thing“—He also remembered his longing for a real animal; his hatred for the electric sheep which he had to cherish, to care for as if it were alive, was reawakened in him. The tyranny of things, he thought. He doesn’t know I exist. Like androids, it does not have the ability to realize someone else’s existence. He had never thought of that before, the resemblance between an electric animal and an andi. The electric animal, he mused, could be considered a subspecies of the other, a kind of very low-quality robot. Or, on the contrary, the android can be considered a highly advanced, evolved version of an artificial animal. Both points of view aroused revulsion in him.  (p. 14)
• „The First Law of Junk“—This house, except for my apartment, is all garbage.“ „?“ She didn’t understand. „Junk is useless items, such as advertising leaflets or empty matchboxes, or plastic wrappers or yesterday’s newspapers. When no one is around, the junk reproduces itself. For example, if you go to bed and leave junk around the apartment, when you wake up the next day, there will be twice as much. There’s more and more of it.“ „I understand.“ The girl looked at him uncertainly, not knowing whether to trust him. She wasn’t sure if he meant it. „There is the First Law of Junk,“ he said. „“Junk spoils good things.‘ Similar to Gresham’s Dirty Money Act. And there was no one in those apartments to fight the junk.“ „So everything worked here,“ the girl finished. Nodded. „Now I understand.“ „This place,“ he said, „this apartment you’ve chosen—it’s too run-down to live in. We can reverse the junk factor; We can do that, as I said, to discuss the other apartments. But—“ he paused. „But what?“ Isidore said, „We can’t win.“ „Why not?“ The girl walked out into the corridor and closed the door behind her, arms folded confidently in front of her small high breasts, looking at him, eager to understand. At least that’s how it seemed to him. At least she listened. „No one can win over junk,“ he said, „only temporarily, and maybe in one place, like me, I maintain a kind of artificial balance in my apartment between the pressure of junk and necessary things, for now. But eventually I’ll die or leave, and then the junk will have the upper hand again. This is a general principle that applies everywhere in the universe; The whole universe is moving toward the final state of total, absolute defilement.“  (p. 21)
• „The Laws of Mercerism – The Box of Empathy“ – He added: „Except for Wilbur Mercer’s performance, of course,“ The girl did not take her eyes off him: „I don’t see how this has to do with it.“ „That’s what Mercerism is all about.“ He was astonished again, „You don’t participate in the intermingling? Don’t you have a box of empathy?“ After a while, the girl said cautiously. „I didn’t take it with me. I thought I’d find one here.“ „But a box of empathy,“ he said, stammering with excitement. „It’s the most personal possession you have. Expands your body; With its help, you can touch other people, with its help you will cease to be alone. But you know, everyone knows it. Mercer allows even those like me—“ He fell silent. But too late; He’d already told her, and he could tell by his face, which flashed a flash of revulsion, that he knew. „I almost passed the IQ tests,“ he said in a low, shaky voice. „I’m not very special, just mildly; Not in the way you see it in some. But Mercer doesn’t care about that.“ „As far as I am concerned,“ said the girl, „you may regard it as the chief defect of Mercerism.“ Her voice was clear and neutral; She intended only to state a fact, he realized. His factual stance on the cripples.  (p. 21)
• „Who is Wilbur Mercer?“  – except Wilbur Mercer, of course… but Mercer, he reasoned, was not a human being; He is undoubtedly an archetypal being from the stars, grafted onto our culture according to a cosmic pattern. (p. 21)
• „Isidore’s Secret Thoughts“ – Maybe when a man degenerates like me, when he falls into the swamp of the grave world by being a special – well, it’s best to leave that direction of search. Nothing depressed him more than the time when he compared his present mental faculties with those he had wielded before. Every day his intelligence and acumen declined. (p. 23)
• „False Messengers‘ Testimonies Against Mercerism“ –  But there was something about Buddy Buster that bothered John Isidore, one strange thing. Buster gently, almost innocently, mocked the boxes of empathy. Not once, but many times. In fact, he was doing it now. „—rocks aren’t much for me,“ Buster prattled to Amanda Werner, „And if I ever climb up somewhere, I’ll take a couple of Budweisers with me!“ The studio audience laughed, and Isidore heard a burst of applause. „And I’ll come up with my carefully documented revelation from above—that revelation awaits us in exactly ten hours from now!“ „I want too, baby!“ snapped Amanda. „Take me with you! Soil too, and if you throw a stone at us, I’ll beat you!“ The audience howled again, and John Isidore felt a confused and helpless rage rise up behind his neck. Why does Buddy Buster keep making fun of Mercerism? No one else seemed to mind; even the UN has approved it. And U.S. and Russian police have publicly stated that Mercerism has reduced crime by making citizens care more about the welfare of their neighbors. Humanity needs more empathy, Titus Corning, the UN Secretary General, has said several times. Buster must be jealous, Isidore concluded. Sure, that would be an explanation; Wilbur Mercer competes with him. But why is that? For the sake of our minds, Isidore concluded. They fight for the ability to control our mental selves; on one side of the box of empathy, on the other Buster’s screams and mocking remarks. I’ll have to tell Hannibal Sloat, he decided. And I ask him if it’s true; He will know. (p. 24)
• „More False Messengers Testimonies Against Mercerism“ – Isidore said: „I think Buddy Buster and Mercerism are fighting each other for the ability to control our souls.“ „If so,“ said Sloat, examining the cat, „Buster wins.“ „He wins now,“ said Isidore, „but in the end he loses.“ Sloat raised his head and looked at him, „Why?“ „Because Wilbur Mercer keeps renewing himself. He is eternal. At the top of the mountain they knock him down; he will sink into the world of the grave and then, inevitably, rise again, And we with him. So we’re eternal, too.“  (p. 24)
• „The Closed Cycle of Life According to Mercer“ – „ According to M-Mercer,“ Isidore emphasized, „all life will return in-time. Z-z-animals also have a u-u-closed cycle. I mean, we all climb with him, we’re going to die—“ (p. 25)
• „[1] Misuse of the Penfield Wave Transmitter“ – He modified his gun case, opened them, pulled out a small indirect Penfield wave transmitter; pressed a button for catalepsy, protected himself against radiation by transmitting counterwaves through the metal cover of the transmitter, which was aimed only at him.  (p. 28)
• Mozart died shortly after writing The Magic Flute – he was not yet forty – of kidney disease. And they buried him in an unmarked mass grave. As he thought about it, he wondered if Mozart had any idea that the future did not exist, that he had already exhausted his allotted time.  (p. 31)
• „Victoria Christy’s poem – Sub Specie Oeternitatis“ – And again he saw himself sub specie oeternitatis, the destroyer, attracted by what he sees and hears here. (Poem: Sub specie oeternitatis – Poeme : Sub specie oeternitatis) [56] (p. 31)
• „The Cold of Androids“—There was a cold reserve in her tone—and yet another coldness that he had already encountered in so many androids. It was always the same: great intelligence, the ability to understand a lot, but also the coldness.  (p. 32)
• „[1] How far does the replacement of humans by androids extend? Aren’t we all cold substitutes anymore?“ – „Perhaps once upon a time there was a man who looked like you, and you killed him and took his place. And your superiors don’t know anything.“  (p. 32)
• „[2] How far does the replacement of humans by androids extend? Aren’t we all cold surrogates anymore?“ – „Maybe you’re an android,“ said Crams. „With the false memory they have now. Have you thought of that?“ He grinned coldly as he continued to head south.  (p. 36)
• „Empathy between androids“ – „You androids,“ Rick said, „probably don’t hold each other very well when the going gets tough.“ Garland snapped, „I suppose you’re right; It would almost seem that we lack the special talent that you humans have. I think it’s called empathy.“  (p. 39)
• „Have you laid the foundations of your ideology?“ asked Phil Resch. „Who would consider me part of the human race?“ Rick said: „Your ability to empathize, to empathize with the role of another, is defective. We don’t test that. Your feelings about androids.“  (p. 45)
• „Life“ – So much for the difference between real, living humans and humanoid products. In that elevator in the museum, he thought, I was going down with two creatures, one a human, the other an android… And I had the opposite of what I should have. The opposite of what I was used to feeling—what I am obliged to feel.  (p. 46)
• „Mercerian Ethics“—“I think,“ said Isidore, „that you are wrong.“ He had never heard of such a thing in his life. Buddy Buster, for example, never mentioned it. „This is not in line with the current Mercedes ethics,“ he stressed. „All life is one; ‚no man is an island,‘ as Shakespeare once said in ancient times.“ „John Donne.“  (p. 47)
• „Feelings about the colonization of Mars“ – „We came back,“ said Pris, „because no one should live there. You can’t live there, at least not for the last billion years. It’s so old there. You can feel it in the stones, that terrible age.  (p. 48)
• „Feelings from the colonization of the Universe“ – „Exploring the planet,“ said Pris. „And beings from other stars. Infinitely wise. Stories about the Earth, set in our own time or even later. And without radioactive dust.“  (p. 48)
• „That’s against Mercerism!“ – He had a vague, distant idea: something ruthless, carrying a printed list and a pistol, engaged like a machine in monotonous, bureaucratic killing work. A thing without emotions, even without a face; a thing which, if it were killed, would be immediately replaced by another thing similar to it. And so on until everything real and alive is shot. Unbelievable, he thought the police could not do anything. I don’t believe that. These people must have done something, maybe they emigrated back to Earth illegally. They tell us – television tells us – to report every ship that lands outside the designated ramps. The police must keep an eye on this. But even so, no one can intentionally kill someone anymore. This is against Mercerism.  (pp. 50; 51)
• „[2] Misuse of the Penfield Wave Transmitter“ – „This switchboard,“ Roy continued, „has a Penfield unit built into it. As soon as the alarm is triggered, it begins to send a panic mood – to the intruder. Unless he acts very quickly, which he might. Huge panic; I set it to the maximum. No human being can stay close for more than a few seconds. This is the nature of panic: it leads to random movements in circles, aimless running around, and muscle and nerve spasms.“ He concluded: „Which will give us the opportunity to get it. Maybe. It depends on how good he is.“ Isidore said, „Won’t the alarm work on us?“ „That’s right,“ Pris said to Roy Baty. „He will work on Isidore.“  (p. 52)
• „Depression“ – The new and terribly unknown depression that overwhelmed him during the day has not yet passed. Animals and animal handlers seemed to him the only weak point of the screen of depression, a crack through which he could grab it and end it. Often in the past, the sight of animals, the smell of money flowing in big deals, had done a lot for him. Perhaps it will work even now.  (p. 52)
• „[1] The Inner Life of Mercerista“ — „It would be immoral not to unite gratefully with Mercer,“ Iran said. „I was holding the handles of the box today and that made me a little depressed – just a little bit, not like this. But I got a stone anyway, here.“ She raised her wrist; He saw a small dark bruise on it. „And I remember thinking about how much better we were with Mercer. Regardless of the pain. Physical pain, but mentally we are together; I felt everyone else, everyone from all over the world, everyone who connected with Mercer at the same time.“ She held back the elevator doors so they wouldn’t close. „Get in, Rick. It will only be a moment. You rarely go to Mercer’s anyway; I want you to convey the mood you’re in to everyone else; You owe it to them. It would be immoral to keep it to yourself.“ Of course she was right. So he got in the elevator and descended again. In the living room, Iran quickly flicked the switch of the empathy box, her face enlivened with growing joy; It illuminated it like a rising moon. „I want everyone to know,“ she told him. „It happened to me once; I got in touch and came across someone who had just acquired an animal. And then one day—“ Her features froze for a moment; The joy vanished. „One day I found out that I had caught someone whose animal had died. But the rest of us shared our various joys with him—I didn’t have any, as you probably know—and that cheered the person up. We might get to a potential suicide; what we have, what we feel, might—“ „They’ll have our joy,“ said Rick, „but we’ll lose it. We exchange what we feel for what they feel. Our joy will be lost.“ The screen of the empathy box now showed intertwining shapeless streams of bright colors; His wife took a breath and gripped the handle tightly. „We don’t really lose what we feel if we keep it clearly in our brains. Rick, you’ve never made a real connection, have you?“ „I don’t think so,“ he said. But now, for the first time, he began to feel the value that people like Iran were getting from Mercerism. The experience with bounty hunter Phil Resch probably changed some tiny synapse in him, closed some neurological connection, and opened another. And that may have started a chain reaction. „Iran,“ he said urgently; He pulled her away from the box of empathy. „Listen; I want to talk to you about what happened to me.“ He led her to the sofa and sat her facing him. „I met another bounty hunter,“ he said. „I’ve never seen him before. Such a predator, he seemed to like to destroy them. After I stayed with him for a while, for the first time I began to look at them differently. I mean, my opinion of them was different from his.“ „Won’t it wait?“ said Iran. Rick shook his head, „I took a test, one question, and it was confirmed; I started to feel empathy for androids, and you know what that means. You said it yourself this morning. ‚Those poor angels.‘ So you know what I’m talking about. That’s why I bought the goat. I have never been like this in my life. Maybe it could be depression like you’re getting. Now I understand how you suffer when you’re depressed. I always thought you liked it, and I thought you could stop at any time, if not alone, then with the help of a moody organ. But when you get that depressed, you don’t care about anything. It’s apathy because you’ve lost your sense of all that counts. It doesn’t matter if you feel better, because if you don’t have anything worthwhile—“ (pp. 55; 56)
• „[2] The Inner Life of Mercerist“ – His wife was bending over a black empathetic box, an absent expression on her face. He stood behind her for a moment, his hands resting on her breast; He felt them rising and falling, he could feel the life in her, the activity. Iran did not notice him; the experience with Mercer was, as always, perfect. A small, old figure of Mercer in a cloak trudged up on the screen, and suddenly a stone flew past him. Rick looked and thought, My God; My situation is worse than his. Mercer doesn’t have to do anything foreign to him. He suffers, but at least he is not asked to violate his own identity. He bent down and gently freed the handles from the woman’s fingers. Then he himself took her place. For the first time in weeks. Impulsively: he hadn’t planned it; It just happened all of a sudden. He found himself in a land covered with grass, desert everywhere, the air smelled sharply of flowers; This was a desert, there was no rain. A man stood before him, a pitiful light in his tired eyes filled with tears. „Mercere,“ Rick said. „I am your friend,“ said the old man. „But you have to go on as if I don’t exist. Do you understand that?“ He spread his empty hands. „No,“ Rick said. „I don’t understand. I need help.“ „How can I save you,“ said the old man, „if I cannot even save myself?“ He smiled. „Don’t you understand? There is no salvation.“ „So what’s the point?“ asked Rick. „What are you for?“ „To show you,“ said Wilbur Mercer, „that you are not alone. I’m here with you and always will be. Go and do your task, even if you know it’s not right.“ „Why?“ wondered Rick. „Why should I do that? I’ll quit and move out.“ The old man said, „You’re going to have to do bad things no matter where you go. This is the basic condition of life, the need to violate one’s own identity. At some time, every creature that lives must do this. It is an insurmountable shadow, the defeat of creation; It is the curse of work, a curse that fills all life. Everywhere in space.“ „Is that all you can tell me?“ said Rick. A stone whizzed by; He crouched down and the stone hit him in the ear. He immediately let go of the handles and stood again in the living room, next to his wife and the empathy box. His head ached like a shard; He touched his auricle and felt fresh blood running down his face in large bright drops. Iran wiped his ear with a handkerchief. „I’m quite glad you pushed me away. I hate that when I get hit. Thanks for grabbing that stone for me.“  (p. 57)
• „Roy Baty“ – (as the description informed him) has an aggressive, assertive behavior of artificial authority. Previously employed unknown, the android offered the group an escape attempt, ideologically justifying it with a flamboyant fiction about the sanctity of the so-called android ‚life‘. Furthermore, this android stole various mind-blending drugs and experimented with them, and when he was caught, he claimed that he wanted to give the androids a group experience similar to Mercerism, which, he pointed out, remains unattainable to androids.  (p. 59)
• „Horror with the cycle of Life“ – All temporary, he thought. The cycle of life. Here it ends, the last rays. Before the silence of death comes. He felt it perfectly in this microcosm.  (p. 59)
• „Feelings of androids“ – „Something like that. Identification; That’s where I’m going. My God; Maybe it will happen. In that confusion, you will retire me, not her. And she can go back to Seattle and live my life. I’ve never been like this. We are machines, they make us as bottle caps. It’s just an illusion that I—I personally—really exist; I’m just a sample of one type.“ She shuddered. (p. 60)
• she thought. „Androids can’t have children,“ she said afterward. „Are we missing something?“ He undressed her. He revealed her pale, cold groin. „Are we missing something?“ repeated Rachael. „I really don’t know; I can’t judge it in any way. What’s it like to have a baby? What is it like to be born? We are not born; we don’t grow up; Instead of dying of disease or old age, we exhaust ourselves like ants. Again ants; That’s us. You don’t; I. Chitinous reflective machines that aren’t really alive.“ She turned her head to the side and said loudly, „I’m not alive! You don’t go to bed with a woman. Don’t be disappointed, okay? Have you ever made love to an android?“ (p. 62)
• „The Limitations of Life“ – Rachael said, „Do you know the lifespan of a humanoid robot like me? I’ve been around for two years now. How much more should I count on?“ After a moment’s hesitation, he said, „Probably two more.“  „They failed to solve the problem. I mean cell replacement. Permanent or at least partial recovery. Well, that’s how it goes.“  (p. 63)
• „How the flame of Life goes out“ – „Only in the wrong way.“ He seemed to be calmer on the outside. But deep down, still agitated and tense. But the dark flame was dying; The life force was draining from her, as he had often seen in other androids. Classic resignation. A mechanical, intellectual acceptance of what a true organism – which has two billion years of survival and developmental hardship behind it – could never cope. + „Damn, you said yourself that you have two years to live anyway. And me fifty. I will live twenty-five times longer than you.“  (p. 64)
• „Extreme incident with the spider; mockery of Mercerism and Mercer’s false revelations“ – Upstairs, at the door of his apartment, he paused to catch his breath. „- yes sir, folks; Now the time has come. Here is Buddy Buster, who hopes and believes that you are as eager as I am to witness a discovery that I have made, which, by the way, has been verified by the best researchers who have been working overtime for weeks. Oh, folks; John Isidore said, „I found a spider.“ The three androids looked up, momentarily shifting their attention from the TV screen to him. „Let’s see,“ said Pris. She held out her hand. Roy Baty shouted, „Don’t talk when he’s Buster.“ „I’ve never seen a spider,“ said Pris. She took the medicine bottle in her hands and watched the creature inside. „So many legs. Why does he need so many legs, J.R.?“ „Spiders are like that,“ said Isidore, his heart pounding; He had a hard time breathing. „They have eight legs.“ Pris stood up and said, „Do you know what I’m thinking, J.R.? I don’t think he needs all those legs.“ „Eight?“ wondered Irmgard Baty. „Why wouldn’t he make do with four? Let’s cut off four of him and see.“ She quickly opened her purse, pulled out a clean, sharp manicure pair of scissors, and handed them to Pris. A terrible horror passed through J. R. Isidore. Pris carried the vial into the kitchen and sat down at the table where J. R. Isidore was eating breakfast. She removed the cap from the bottle and knocked the spider out. „He probably won’t be able to run that fast,“ she said, „but there’s nothing he can catch here. He’s going to die anyway.“ She reached for the scissors. „Please,“ Isidore breathed.  Pris looked up curiously. „Is it worth anything?“ „Don’t bother him,“ he said wheezingly. Entreatingly. Pris cut off one of the spider’s legs with scissors. In the living room, Buddy Buster muttered on the TV screen, „Look at this enlarged background section. This is the heaven you usually see. Wait, I’ll let Earl Parameter, the leader of my research team, tell you about his world-shattering discovery.“ Pris snapped another leg away, preventing the spider from escaping with the edge of her palm. She was smiling. „The enlargements of the video footage,“ said a new voice from the television, „have been subjected to rigorous laboratory examination, and it turns out that the gray horizon and pale moon against which Mercer is moving, not only is not terrestrial – artificial!“ „You’ll miss it!“ called Irmgard anxiously to Pris; She ran into the kitchen door and saw what Pris had gotten herself into. „Oh, do it then,“ she said reassuringly, „This is so important what they say; it proves that everything we believed—“ „Be quiet,“ said Roy Baty. „—it’s true,“ Irmgard finished. The television continued: „The ‚moon‘ is painted; On the enlargements, one of which you can see on the screen, you can see brush strokes. And here is even evidence that the sparse grass and barren, sterile ground – perhaps even the stones thrown at Mercer by the invisible alleged participants – are just as much laminated. It is quite possible that in fact the ‚stones’ are made of soft plastic that will not cause authentic injury.“ „In other words,“ Buddy Buster interrupted, „Wilbur Mercer doesn’t suffer at all.“ The lead researcher said: „Eventually, Mr. Buddy, we managed to track down a former Hollywood trick specialist, Mr. Wade Cortot, and he directly confirmed, given years of experience, that ‚Mercer‘ could only be some casual actor moving in a perfect setting. Cortot even went so far as to say that he recognized the sets once used by the now-inactive second-rate director with whom Cortot had worked several decades ago. „So, according to Cortot,“ said Buddy Buster, „there really can be no doubt,“ Pris had just cut off the spider’s third leg, and the spider was crawling miserably on the kitchen table, looking for a way out, a way to freedom. He found none.  (p. 66)
• „Mercerism – Disclosure?“ „I discovered,“ the technician continued, „that the old man had indeed made a series of short fifteen-minute videos for a client whom he had never met. And, as we supposed, the ‚stones’ were rubber-like plastic, the ‚blood‘ was ketchup, and,“ the technician giggled, „the only suffering Mr. Jarry endured was spending the whole day without a gulp of whiskey.“ „Al Jarry,“ said Buddy Buster, whose face appeared on the screen. „An old man who, even in his prime, never achieved anything that he or we could appreciate. Al Jarry made a repetitive and stupid movie, actually a whole series of films, he didn’t know for whom – and to this day he doesn’t know. Adherents of Mercerism have often said that Wilbur Mercer is not a human being, that he is actually an archetypal superior entity, perhaps from another star. Well, in a sense, that statement turned out to be correct. Wilbur Mercer is not a human being, he doesn’t really exist. The world in which it rises is an ordinary, cheap, Hollywood backdrop that disappeared into the junk years ago. And who took such a colossal shot from the entire solar system? Think about it for a minute, folks.“ „We’ll probably never know,“ Irmgard muttered.  Buddy Buster said, „We’ll probably never know. We can’t even imagine the bizarre reasons behind this deception. Yes, folks, deception, Mercerism is a scam!“ „I think we know,“ Roy Baty said. „It’s clear. Mercerism originated—“ „But think about it,“ Buddy Buster continued, „Ask yourself what it is that causes Mercerism. Well, if we are to believe its numerous adherents, it is the experience of merging—“ „That’s the empathy that humans have,“ Irmgard said, „men and women throughout the solar system into a single being. But a being that is controlled by the so-called telepathic voice of ‚Mercer‘. Notice this. Some ambitious, politically minded would-be Hitler might-“ + „Mercerism is a scam.“ The whole experience of empathy is a scam.“  + „I don’t think this is the end of Mercer’s cult,“ Pris.  (p. 67)
• „Mercerism has not ended“ – „Mercerism has not ended,“ said Isidore. The three androids were plagued by some disease, something terrible. The spider, he thought. Maybe it was the last spider on Earth, as Roy Baty said. And the spider is gone; Mercer is gone; He saw the dust and destruction in the apartment that spread everywhere – he could hear the junk approaching, the final chaos of all order, the mess that would eventually prevail. It grew around him as he stood, holding an empty ceramic cup; The cabinets in the kitchen creaked and split, and he felt herself losing ground.  (p. 68)
• „The apparition of Isidore“ – „What is he doing?“ Irmgard Baty’s voice came to him from a distance. „He breaks everything! Isidor, stop—“ „I don’t,“ he said. He walked unsteadily into the sitting-room to be himself; He stood by the tattered sofa, staring at the yellow stained wall of dead bedbugs that had once crawled there, and thought again of the corpse of a spider with four remaining legs. Everything here is old, he realized. It started to crumble a long time ago and it won’t stop. The corpse of the spider won. In the depression caused by the collapse of the floor, pieces of animals were revealed, the head of a crow, dried up hands that may have once belonged to monkeys. A little way away stood a donkey, motionless, and yet it could be seen to be alive; At least it hadn’t started to decompose yet. Isidore walked towards him, feeling the long bones, dry as grass, crunch beneath his feet. But before he reached the donkey—the creature was one of his most beloved—a shiny blue crow descended from above and settled on the donkey’s impassive mouth. Don’t do it, he said loudly, but the crow quickly pricked out the donkey’s eyes. Again, he thought. It happened to me again. I’ll be down here for a long time, he realized. Just like before. It always takes a long time, because nothing ever changes here; The turning point will come when nothing falls apart. A dry wind whispered, piles of bones slumped around him. Even the wind destroys them, he noticed. At this stage. Just before time perishes. I wish I could remember how I got out of here, he thought. He looked up and saw nothing to catch onto. Mercere, he said loudly. Where are you now? This is the world of the grave and I am in it again, but this time you are not here with me. Something went over his leg. He knelt down and searched – he found it because it was moving slowly. A tortured spider, jerkily stumbling on the remaining legs; He picked it up and held it in his hand. The bones, he realized, had changed; The spider lives again. Mercer is certainly near. The wind blew, breaking and scattering the remaining bones, but he felt Mercer’s presence. Come here, he told Mercer. Climb over my leg or find another way to come to me. Okay? Mercere, he thought. He said loudly, „Mercere!“ Tufts of wind-driven grass rolled through the landscape; The grass burrowed into the walls around him and grew through the walls until it turned into spores. Spores swelled, split and cracked in the stricken steel and pieces of concrete in which the walls crumbled. And when the walls disappeared, the desert remained; In the end, the desert remained; Except for the fragile, hazy figure of Mercer; The old man stood facing him, a calm expression on his face. „Is it heaven painted?“ asked Isidore. „Are there really brushstrokes that show up when zoomed in?“ „Yes,“ Mercer said. „I don’t see them.“ „You’re too close,“ Mercer said. „You’d have to be very far away, like androids. They have a better view.“ „Is that why they say you’re a scam?“ I’m a scam,“ Mercer said. „They’re honest; They actually did the research. From their point of view, I’m a long-retired occasional actor, Al Jarry. Their entire discovery is true. They talked to me at my house, they claim; I told them what they wanted to know, and they wanted to know everything.“ „About the whiskey?“ Mercer smiled. „It was true. They did a good job, and from their point of view, Buddy Buster’s discovery was convincing. They will find it hard to understand why nothing has changed. Because you’re still here and I’m still here.“ Mercer gestured softly to the bare, steep slope of the mountain, a familiar spot. „I have just raised you from the world of the grave and I will continue to lift you up until you lose interest and want to stop. But you yourself will have to stop seeking me, because I will never stop seeking you.“ „I didn’t like it with the whisky,“ said Isidore. „It’s humiliating.“ „That’s because you’re a highly moral person. I’m not like that. I don’t judge anyone, not even myself.“ Mercer lifted his clenched palm, the back of his hand down. „Before I forget, I have something here that belongs to you.“ He opened his fingers, a tortured spider rested on his hand, but his previously severed legs were in place.  (p. 68; 69)
• „Woes“ – What kind of work is this, Rick wondered. I am a calamity, like famine or pestilence. Wherever I go, they curse me. As Mercer said, I am being asked to do bad things. Everything I did was wrong from the beginning. But now it’s time to go home. Maybe when I’m with Iran for a while, I’ll forget.  (p. 72)
• „[1] The Rick Deckard Revelation“ – Dave would approve of what I did. But he would also have sympathy for the other side, which I don’t think even Mercer understands. For Mercer, everything is easy, he thought, because Mercer accepts everything. Nothing is alien to him. But what I have done, he thought, is suddenly alien to me. In fact, everything about me became unnatural; I myself became unnatural. He walked on, up the hill, and with every step the weight grew in him. I’m too tired, he thought to climb. He stopped, wiping the sweat dripping into his eyes, salty tears gushing from his skin, from his whole aching body. Angry at himself, he spat – spat furiously and contemptuously, on the bare ground, feeling a terrible hatred for himself. Then he again toiled up the slope, through a deserted and unknown country, far from everything; Nothing lived here except him. Heat. It has warmed significantly; It was obvious that some time had passed. And he was hungry. He hadn’t eaten for a long time. Hunger combined with heat, poisonous taste reminiscent of defeat; Yes, he thought, that’s it: in some mysterious way I was defeated. By killing those androids? By Rachael murdering my goat? He did not know, but as he toiled about his mind was clouded by some vague and almost hallucinatory sheet; At one point he found, without having any idea how this could have happened, that he was one step away from a near-fatal fall into the abyss—the fall of the humble and helpless, he thought; on and on, without witnesses. There was no one here to notice his or anyone’s disgrace, and any courage or pride that might be manifested here would go unnoticed: dead stones, dusty blades of grass, dry and dying, will realize nothing and remember nothing, neither of him nor of themselves. At that moment, the first stone hit him in the groin – and it was no rubber or plastic foam. The pain, the sudden realization of utter loneliness and suffering, passed through him undisguised and genuine. He paused. And then something propelled him forward—the spurs were invisible, but impossible to resist—he began to climb again. I roll, he thought, like stones; I do what stones do, without willpower. Without meaning anything. „Mercere,“ he said, gasping for breath; He stopped, stood quietly. In front of him he could make out a vague, motionless figure. „Wilbure Mercere! Is that you?“ My God, he realized; This is my shadow. I have to get out of here, down that hill! He began to scratch down. He fell once; Clouds of dust covered everything, and he fled from the dust—hurrying even harder, slipping and staggering on the rocks. He saw his parked car in front. I’m down, he told himself. I climbed down the mountain. With a jerk he opened the door and squeezed in. Who threw the stone at me? he asked silently. Nobody. But why does this worry me? I’ve been through it before, when merging. When I used my empathic box, like everyone else. This is nothing new. But it was. Because, he thought, I did it myself.  (p. 73; 74)
• „I am Wilbur Mercer“—“You look,“ said Miss Marsten, „like Wilbur Mercer.“ „I am,“ he said. „I’m Wilbur Mercer; I am constantly connected to him. And I can’t disconnect. I’m sitting here waiting to disconnect. Somewhere near the Oregon border. „Should we send someone there? A company car to pick you up?“ „No,“ he said. „I don’t belong in the ward anymore.“ „It is obvious that you worked too much yesterday, Mr. Deckard,“ she said reproachfully. „Now you need to get a good rest. Mr. Deckard, you are our best bounty hunter, the best we have ever had. I’ll tell Inspector Bryant when he gets here; You fly home and go to sleep. Call your wife now, Mr. Deckard, because she is terribly, very worried. I can tell, you’re both in a bad way.“ „That’s because of my goat,“ he said. „Not because of androids; Rachael wasn’t right – I had no trouble sending them to rest. And the special wasn’t right either when he said I couldn’t blend in with Mercer anymore. The only one who was right was Mercer.“ „You’d better go back here to the Bay, Mr. Deccard. Here are the people. There’s nothing alive there off Oregon; Is that right? Aren’t you alone?“ „It’s weird,“ Rick said. „I had an absolute, total, perfectly real illusion that I had become Mercer and that people were throwing stones at me. But not the way you experience it when you hold on to the handles of the empathic box. When you use the empathic box, you feel like you’re with Mercer. The difference is that I wasn’t with anyone; I was alone.“ „Now they say Mercer is a hoax.“ „Mercer is not a hoax,“ he said. „Unless reality is a hoax.“ This hill, he thought. This dust and the many stones, each one is different, different from each other. „I’m afraid,“ he said, „that I can’t stop being Mercer.  + But I don’t particularly mind. Anymore. No, he thought, after what had happened to me up there, at the top of that mountain. I wonder what would happen next if I continued to climb and reached the top. Because that’s where Mercer seems to die. There Mercer’s victory is clearly manifested, there at the end of the great sidereal cycle. But if I was Mercer, he thought, I could never die, not even in ten thousand years. Mercer is immortal.  (p. 75)
• „[2] The Revelation of Rick Deckard“ – Something happened to me. Like that cripple Isidore and his spider; What happened to him is happening to me. Did Mercer arrange it? But I’m Mercer. I arranged it; I found a toad. I found it because I was looking through Mercer’s eyes. He squatted down next to the toad. She pressed herself against the small gravel, where she made a hole: she spread the dust with her butt. So only the top of her flat head and eyes peeked above the surface. Meanwhile, her metabolism slowed until it almost stopped, she fell into a trance. There was no twinkle in her eyes, no hint that she had noticed him, and he thought in horror, „She’s dead, maybe from thirst.“ But she moved. He placed the box on the ground and carefully began to dig up the dirt from the toad. He didn’t seem to object, but she certainly wasn’t aware of his presence. When he picked up the toad, he felt its peculiar coldness; In his hands, her body felt dry and wrinkled—almost scruffy—and cold, as if she lived in a cave miles underground, far from the sun. Now the toad squirmed; With her thin hind leg she tried to free herself from his grasp, instinctively trying to jump. It’s big, he thought; Mature and wise. Able, in its own way, to survive where even we can’t really survive. I wonder where he looks for water for his eggs. So this is what Mercer sees, he thought as he meticulously wrapped the box—tied it over and over again. A life we can no longer discern; Life, carefully buried up to its head in the carcass of a dead planet. In every greave in the universe, Mercer is likely to recognize stealthy life. Now I know, he thought. And once I saw Mercer’s eyes, I’ll probably never stop. No android, he thought, would cut off this leg. Like they did to that cripple’s spider.  (p. 76)
• „[3] The Rick Deckard Revelation“ – „Mercer said it was wrong, but I should do it anyway. Really weird. Sometimes it’s better to do something wrong than do the right thing.“ „This is our curse,“ Iran said. „That’s what Mercer is talking about.“ „Dust?“ he asked. „The killers who found Mercer when he was sixteen told him he couldn’t turn back time and bring everything back to life. So now he can only move through life, to go where life goes, to death. And the killers throw stones; That’s what they do. They’re still chasing him. And all of us, in fact. Did one of them cut your face where you’re still bleeding?“  (p. 77; 78)

Mercerism – 2nd extract of Holy Texts for Teaching Empathy (short story The Little Black Box)

Citation source: DICK, Philip K. The Golden Man. Translated by Jaroslava KOHOUTOVÁ. Plzeň: Laser, 1995. Edition SF. ISBN 80-7193-008-3

Content:

• Sample No. [1] p. 1 – 4.
• Sample No. [2] p. 4.
• Sample No. [3] p. 6.
• Sample No. [4] p. 6.
• Sample No. [5] p. 7
• Sample No. [6] pp. 7 – 9.
• Sample No. [7] p. 9
• Sample No. [8] p. 10
• Sample No. [9] p. 11
• Sample No. [10] pp. 11- 12.

Sample No. [1] p. 1 – 4.

Ray said in a meditative tone, „And you’re the girl who always tells people to accept blame and not blame the outside world. What do you call your basic rule, honey? Hm?“ He smiled. „Anti-paranoia? Dr. Joan Hiashi treats your mental illness: absorb all the blame, take it all on yourself.“ He looked up and said sharply, „I’m surprised you’re not one of Wilbur Mercer’s followers.“

„The clown?“

„But that’s part of his challenge. Come, I’ll show you.“ Ray turned on the TV against the far wall of the room. It was a legless device of oriental style with the pattern of dragons of the Song Dynasty.

„Strange that you know when Mercer is on the agenda,“ Joan paused.

Ray shrugged and muttered, „I’m interested. It is a new religion that is beginning to supplant Zen Buddhism. It’s pouring in from the Midwest and will soon flood all of California. You should also be interested in this when you claim religion as your profession. Thanks to him, you have a job. Religion pays your bills, my dear, so don’t kick it.“

The TV screen lit up and Wilbur Mercer appeared.

„Why doesn’t he say anything?“ asked Joan.

„You know, Mercer took the oath of office this week. Complete silence.“ Ray lit a cigarette. „The Ministry should have sent me. You’re zero.“

„At least I’m not a clown,“ Joan snapped, „or a follower of a jester.“

Ray gently reminded her, „There is a Zen Buddhist proverb. ‚Buddha is in every piece of toilet paper.‘ And one more ‚Buddha often-‚“

„Be quiet,“ she said sharply. „I want to watch Mercer.“

„You want to watch.“ There was heavy irony in his voice. „You really want to watch, for God’s sake? But nobody looks at Mercer, that’s the crux of the matter.“ He threw his cigarette into the fireplace and walked with long strides over to the television. Joan saw a metal box with two handles, connected by a double conductive cable to the TV. Ray grasped both handles, and his face immediately twisted with pain.

„What’s wrong?“ she asked worriedly.

„N-nothing.“

Ray continued to grip the handles. On screen, Wilbur Mercer walked slowly along the arid, bleak surface of a desolate hill, his head held high, an expression of serenity – or emptiness – on his narrow face. Ray, gasping for breath, let go of the handles. „This time I could only hold them for forty-five seconds.“ Then Joan explained, „This is a box of empathy, baby. I can’t tell you how I got it – to tell the truth, I just don’t know. Once they brought it to me, they, the organization that distributes it – Wilcer a.s. But what I can tell you is that once you grab these handles, you’ll never look at Wilbur Mercer again/You’ll become a participant in his apotheosis. You start to feel what he feels.“

„It looks like it hurts.“

Ray Meritan whispered, „Yes. Because Wilbur Mercer is close to death. He’s going to the place where he’s going to die.“

Joan flinched in horror in front of the box.

„You said that’s what we needed,“ Ray said. „Remember, I’m quite capable of telepath. I don’t have to bother too much to read your mind. ‚If only we could suffer like that.‘ This is what you were thinking about, just a little while ago. Well, here’s your chance, Joan.“

„It’s—morbid!“

„Was your idea morbid?“

„Yes!“

Ray Meritan said slowly, „Wilbur Mercer already has twenty million followers. Worldwide. And they all suffer with him, on his way to Pueblo, Colorado. At least that’s where they say they’re headed. Personally, I doubt it. In any case, Mercerism is what Zen Buddhism once was. You go to Cuba to teach rich Chinese bankers a kind of asceticism that is obsolete, that has long since passed its glory days.“

Joan turned away from him silently and looked at the walking Mercer.

„You know I’m right,“ Ray said. „I can capture your feelings. You may not even know about them, but they are in you.“

On the screen, someone threw a stone at Mercer. He hit him in the shoulder.

Anyone holding onto the empathy box now, Joan realized, felt the blow along with Mercer.

Ray nodded. „That’s right.“

„And—what if they do kill him?“ she shuddered. „We’ll see what happens,“ Ray said quietly. „We don’t know.“

II

FOREIGN SECRETARY Douglas Herrick told Bogart Crofts, „I think you’re wrong, Bog. The girl may be Merman’s mistress, but that doesn’t mean she knows anything.“

„We’ll wait to see what Mr. Lee has to say,“ Crofts replied irritably. „He’ll be waiting for her at the airport in Havana.“

„Can’t Mr. Lee examine Meritan directly?“

„One telepath to investigate another?“

Croft had to smile at the thought. It would create a beautifully nonsensical situation: Mr. Lee would read Meritan’s thoughts, and Meritan, also a telepath, would read Mr. Lee’s thoughts and find that Mr. Lee was reading his mind, and Lee, who read Meritan’s thoughts, would find that Meritan knew—and so on.

An endless chain that would end with two brains merging, with Meritan surely careful not to even think about Wilbur Mercer.

„The similarity of the names is very suspicious to me,“ Herrick said. „Meritan, Mercer. The first three letters—“

Crofts interrupted. „Ray Meritan is not Wilbur Mercer. I’ll tell you how we found out. We made a video of Mercer’s television broadcast at the CIA, enlarged it, and analyzed it. Mercer moved in the usual barren landscape. Cacti, sand, stones… you know.“

„Yes,“ Herrick nodded. „Wilderness, that’s what they call it.“

„Something in the sky appeared on the enlargement. We explored it. It wasn’t a month. Well, it was a moon, but too small to be our moon. Mercer is not on Earth. I’d guess he doesn’t come from Earth at all.“

Crofts bent down and, careful not to touch the handles, picked up a small metal box. „And this wasn’t designed or made on Earth. The whole Mercer movement is absolutely 0-Z, and we have to act on that now.“

„If Mercer is not an earthling, he may have suffered and even died several times before, on other planets.“

„Yes,“ Crofts agreed. „Mercer—or whatever the person’s name or thing is—can have tremendous experience in this. But we still don’t know what we want to know.“ And that was, of course, what happens to a person who grabs the handles of an empathetic box?

Crofts sat down and studied her carefully. She was standing on the table right in front of him, with the two tempting handles. He never touched them, and he never intended to. But-

„When will Mercer die?“ asked Herrick.

„We expect sometime by the end of next week.“

„And you think Mr. Lee will pull something out of the girl’s brain by then? Something that will lead us to where Mercer is?“

„I hope,“ Crofts said, still staring at the box but not touching it yet. „It must be an extraordinary experience to put your hands on those two handles and find out that you are no longer yourself. That you have become a completely different person in a completely different place, that you are trudging along a long, monotonous, inclined plane to certain extinction. At least that’s how they describe it. But to be told about it… What is it really like? What if I tried it myself.

A feeling of absolute pain… That was what frightened him, what discouraged him.

It was unbelievable that people voluntarily sought out that feeling instead of avoiding it. Grasping the handles of an empathic box was certainly not an act expressing a desire to escape. It was not an attempt to avoid something, but to seek something. But not pain as such. Crofts was too experienced to think that the Mercerites were ordinary masochists craving bodily pain. It was, he believed, the sense of pain that so attracted Mercer’s followers.

HIS FOLLOWERS suffered for something.

He told his superior: „They want to suffer in order to deny their own, personal existence. It’s a community in which everyone suffers and endures Mercer’s torment together.“ Like the Last Supper, he thought. This is the key to everything: community, participation, is the foundation of every religion. Or it should. Religion binds people together into one common, unified body, and leaves all others aside.

Herrick objected, „But it’s basically a political movement, or at least it should be treated as such.“

„From our point of view, yes,“ Crofts agreed. „But not from theirs.“

Sample No. [2] p. 4.

With a broad smile on his face, Mr. Lee said, „Or unreasonable. See, I’m ready. Reason, unreason. In Zen, it’s one and the same thing.“ Then he suddenly sobered up. „Of course I’m a communist,“ he said. „The only reason I’m doing all this is because the party in Havana has taken the official position that Mercerism is dangerous and must be tackled.“ He looked gloomy. „I have to say, the Mercerites are real fanatics.“

„True,“ Crofts agreed. „And we have to take care of their end.“ He pointed to the empathy box. „Have you ever –“

„Yes,“ Mr. Lee nodded. „It’s a form of punishment. Voluntary punishment, no doubt because of the feeling of guilt. If people manage their free time properly, they are spared such feelings.“

This one doesn’t understand what’s going on, Crofts thought. He is simply a materialist. Typical for a person born in a communist family and brought up in a communist society. Everything is either black or white.

„You’re wrong,“ Mr. Lee caught Crofts‘ thoughts.

Crofts blushed and blurted out, „Sorry, I forgot. Nothing bad.“

„I have read to you from my thoughts,“ Mr. Lee continued, „that you think that Wilbur Mercer, as he calls himself, might be a 0-Z. You know the Party’s position on this question. It was discussed just a few days ago. The Party decided that there were no 0-Z races in the solar system and that the assumption that remnants of once-superior beings still survived somewhere was a form of morbid mysticism.“

Crofts sighed. „To decide an empirical question by vote – to decide it on strictly political grounds, I really don’t understand.“

At that point, Minister Herrick stepped in and began to calm the two men. „Please don’t argue over theoretical questions you can’t agree on. Let’s get to the bottom of it – Mercer’s party is rapidly expanding across the planet.“

Mr. Lee agreed, „You’re right, of course.“

Sample No [3]

Ray Meritan wasn’t feeling very well today. He still had a headache from a stone someone had thrown at Wilbur Mercer. Meritan tried to tear his hands away from the box when he saw the rock flying, but he wasn’t fast enough. The stone hit Mercer on his right temple until blood gushed out.

„I was hit by three Mercerites tonight,“ Glen said. „They looked terrible. All. What happened to Mercer today?“

„How do I know?“

„You look exactly like the ones I met today. You have a headache, right? I’ve known you long enough, Ray. You get mixed up in everything that is new and strange. I don’t care if you’re a Mercedes. I just thought you’d like a painkiller.“

Ray Meritan replied harshly, „That would make no sense, don’t you think? Painkiller. Please, Mr. Mercer, when you go up that hill, how about a dose of morphine. You won’t feel anything at all.“

Sample No [4]

That’s what I’m telling myself, Meritan thought. What is jazz? What is life? He rubbed his bruised, pain-ridden forehead and asked himself how he would survive the following week. Wilbur Mercer was nearing his goal. Every day it was worse…

„And after a short pause on important rumors,“ Goldstream said, „we’ll be back to tell you more about the men and women of the jazz world, about these eccentric people, and above all about the mastery of one of them, the one and only Ray Meritan.“

A band of ads appeared on the monitor facing the studio.

Meritan turned to Goldstream. „I’d take the pill.“

Received a yellow jagged flat tablet. „Paracodein,“ commented Goldstream. „Illegal, but effective. Addictive drug… I’m surprised that of all people, you don’t carry anything like that with you.“

„Not anymore,“ Ray got a plastic cup of water and swallowed the pill.

„Now you’re on Mercerism.“

„Now I—“ He glanced at Goldstream. „I’m not a Mercedes,“ he said, „so forget it, Glen. By coincidence, my head started to hurt the night some moronic sadist threw a sharp rock at Mercer and hit him in the sleep.“ He frowned.

Sample No. [5] p. 7

An example, he thought as he played. That’s what the FBI needs me for. To show teenagers what to avoid in life. First paracodein and now Mercer. Attention, children!

Off-camera, Glen Goldstream held a piece of paper on which he scrawled:

IS MERCER AN ALIEN?

And under this he added:

THAT’S IT,

WHAT THEY WANT TO KNOW.

An invasion from somewhere outside, Meritan mused as he played. So that’s what they’re afraid of. Fear of the unknown, like little children. That’s all us: small, frightened children playing ritual games with super-powerful weapons.

He caught the idea of one of the TV company’s employees in the steering chamber. Mercer was wounded.

Ray Meritan immediately turned his attention to him and shot with all his might. His fingers plucked at the strings in memory.

The government is issuing a law against so-called empathy boxes.

He immediately remembered his box at home in front of the television.

Organizations that distribute and sell empathy boxes are outlawed. The FBI is making arrests in several major cities. Other countries are likely to follow.

How badly injured? he pondered in his mind. Mortally?

And what happened to the Mercerites, who at that moment were clutching the handles of their boxes of empathy? Where did they end up? Under medical supervision?

Should we release the report now? thought one of the TV company workers. Or wait until the ads?

Ray Meritan stopped playing and said clearly into the microphone, „Wilbur Mercer has been injured. We all expected it, but it is still a great tragedy. Mercer is a saint.“

Glen Goldstream stared at him wide-eyed.

„I believe in Mercer,“ Ray Meritan said, and all over the United States, television viewers heard his profession of faith. „I believe that his anguish, injury and death are of great significance to each of us.“

And that was it. He got on the list of convicts. And he didn’t need too much courage to do it.

„Pray for Wilbur Mercer,“ he said, returning to his harp playing.

You fool, thought Glen Goldstream, Give yourself away like that! You’ll be in jail within a week. Your career is in ruins.

Plink-plink, Ray played, smiling at Glen in amusement.

Sample No. [6] pp. 7 – 9.

„The government of the United States. I scanned your thoughts and found that you know that Ray Meritan is one of the leading Mercerites, and that you are attracted to Merceris.“

„But that’s not true!“

„Subconsciously you are attracted to you, you are on the verge of breaking. I can even read the thoughts you hide from yourself. We’re going back to the United States together. We find Mr. Ray Meritan and he leads us to Wilbur Mercer. It’s that simple.“

„And that’s why I was sent to Cuba?“

„I am a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba. And the only telepath in the entire headquarters. We have voted to cooperate with the US State Department during this terrible crisis. Our plane, Miss Hiashi, leaves for Washington D.C. in half an hour. We have to leave for the airport immediately.“

Joan Hiashi looked around the restaurant helplessly. Other guests, waiters… No one noticed them. She got up, and as a waiter with a heavily loaded tray passed by, she said to him, „This man,“ she pointed to Mr. Lee, „is trying to kidnap me. Please help me.“

The waiter glanced into the booth, and when he saw who it was, he smiled at Joan and shrugged. „Mr. Lee is a very important man.“ And he continued on his way.

„That’s right, then,“ said Mr. Lee.

Joan ran out of the box and through the restaurant. „Help me,“ she said to an elderly Cuban man sitting there with his empathy box in front of him. „I’m also a Mercedes. They want to arrest me.“

An old, wrinkled face rose up to her. The man studied her closely.

„Help me,“ she demanded again.

„Pray to Mercer,“ said the old man.

He can’t help me, Joan realized. She turned to Mr. Lee, who was standing behind her and continued to point his gun at her. „This old man won’t do anything for you,“ said Mr. Lee. „He won’t even get to his feet.“

She slumped her shoulders helplessly. „Okay, then. Let’s go.“

The TV set in the corner abruptly interrupted the broadcast of the daily advertising chatter. The image of a woman with a bottle of detergent disappeared and the screen remained black. Then came the voice of the TV announcer. He spoke Spanish.

„Mercer is wounded,“ said Mr. Lee. „But not dead. How do you feel, Miss Hiashi, like a Mercedes? Did it affect you in any way? Oh, I completely forgot. First you have to grab the handles to make it affect you. It must be a voluntary act.“

Joan picked up the old Cuban’s box, held it in front of her for a moment, and then grabbed the handles. Mr. Lee stared at her in surprise. He stepped up to her and reached for the box…

What she felt was not pain. So what? She mused, looking around at the darkened, misty restaurant. Perhaps Mercer is unconscious. This must be it. I’m escaping you, she turned her thoughts to Mr. Lee. You can’t—or at least you won’t—follow me where I’m going. Into the afterlife world of Wilbur Mercer, who dies somewhere in the wilderness, surrounded by enemies. Now I’m with him. And it’s an escape from something worse. In front of you. And you will never force me to go back.

Around her stretched a barren landscape. The air smelled pungently of blossoming flowers. She was in the desert and it was dry to suffocate.

Beside her stood a man with an expression of pain in his gray, dejected eyes. „I am your friend,“ he said, „but you must act as if I did not exist. Do you understand that?“ He threw up his empty hands.

„No, I don’t understand.“

„How can I save you,“ said the man, „if I can’t even save myself?“ He smiled, „You understand. There is no salvation.“

„Then what is all this for?“ she asked.

„To show you,“ replied Wilbur Mercer, „that you are never alone. I am here with you and always will be. Go back and tell them.“

She removed her hands from the handles.

Mr. Lee pointed a gun at her. „Well?“

„Let’s go,“ she said. „Back to the United States. Hand me over to the FBI. It doesn’t matter.“

„What did you see?“ asked Mr. Lee curiously.

„I won’t tell you.“

„But I’ll find out anyway. From your thoughts.“ He began to probe and scan, head tilted to the side. The corners of his mouth slowly drooped, his face getting a sullen expression.

„Is that all? Mercer talked to you and told you he couldn’t do anything for you – and that’s the man you’re willing to give your life for, you and everyone else? You’re crazy.“

„In the company of madmen,“ said Joan, „the healthy ones are fools.“

„Nonsense!“

Mr. Lee told Bogart CROFTS: „It was interesting. She became a mercerite right before my eyes. The latent has transformed into the real… This proves that I was not wrong to read her thoughts before.“

„I’m sure we’ll get Meritan soon,“ Crofts told his supervisor, Secretary Herrick. „He left a television studio in Los Angeles to receive news of Mercer’s serious injury. No one seems to know what he did after that. He did not return to his apartment. The local police confiscated his empathy box.“

Sample No. [7] p. 9

„What would happen,“ he turned to Mr. Lee, „if I took these two handles? There is no TV. I have no idea what Wilbur Mercer is doing right now. In fact, as far as I know, he should finally be dead.“

Mr. Lee began to explain, „If you take the handles, you enter into—I hate to use the word, but it seems to me the most appropriate—a mystical fellowship. You will share Mr. Mercer’s suffering, wherever he is. But that’s not all. You will also accept him—“ Mr. Lee thought. „Worldview is not the right term. Ideology? No.“

Minister Herrick suggested, „What about a hypnotic state?“

„Maybe,“ Mr. Lee conceded. He frowned. „No, that’s not it either. No word fits. And that’s the whole point. It can’t be described – it has to be experienced.“

„I’ll try,“ Crofts decided.

„No,“ Mr. Lee protested. „I can’t recommend it to you in any way. I warn you. Stay away from the thing. I saw Miss Hiashi do it, and I also saw the change in her. Did you ever try paracodein when it was still popular among the cosmopolitan population?“ His voice sounded angry.

„I tried,“ Crofts said. „It didn’t do anything for me.“

„And what did you want it to do, Bog?“ asked Minister Herrick.

Bogart Crofts shrugged, „I mean, I don’t know any reason why people like it, why they want it so much.“ Finally, he grabbed the handles of the empathy box.

Sample No. [8] p. 10

Where is Wilbur Mercer? he asked himself. In this system, or somewhere else entirely, under a completely different sun? We may never know. Or at least – I’ll never know.

But what does it matter. Mercer was somewhere, and that was all that mattered. And there was always the opportunity to connect with him. There was always a box of empathy – at least before the police raids. And Meritan was sure that the distribution company that supplied the boxes, which had previously worked undercover, would find a way to bypass the police. If it succeeds-

In the rainy gloom in front of him, he saw the red light bulbs of the night bar. He opened the door and entered.

He told the bartender inside:

„Listen, do you have a box of empathy? I’ll pay a hundred dollars for a single use.“

The bartender, a tall, burly man with hairy arms, looked at him, „No. I don’t have anything like that. Water.“

People at the bar looked at him. One of them said, „You’re forbidden now.“

„Hey, it’s Ray Meritan,“ exclaimed another. „The jazzman.“

Another muttered sleepily, „Play something, jazzman.“ He took a sip from his pint.

„Wait,“ said the bartender. „Hold on, buddy. I’ll give you the address.“ He wrote something on a matchbox and handed it to Meritan.

„How much do I owe you?“

„Five dollars should be enough.“

Meritan paid and walked out of the bar, box in his pocket. It’s probably the address of the nearest police station, he told himself. But I’ll try anyway.

If only I could get to the box of empathy one more time-

At the address the bartender gave him, he found an old, dilapidated wooden house in a shantytown of Los Angeles. He knocked on the door and waited.

The door opened. A stronger woman of about forty appeared in a bathrobe and fur slippers. „I’m not from the police,“ he said, „I’m a Mercedes. Can I use your empathy box?“

The door slowly opened. The woman looked at him carefully and seemed to believe him. But she didn’t say a word.

„Sorry to bother you so late at night,“ he apologized.

„What happened to you, sir? You look bad.“

„It’s because of Mercer, he’s badly injured.“

„Follow me,“ said the woman, and led him, with the sound shuffling of his slippers, into a dark, cool room where a parrot slept in a large brass cage. There, on an old radio cabinet, he saw a box of empathy. At the sight, a wonderful relief spread over his body.

„Like home,“ the woman said.

„Thanks.“ He grabbed the handles.

A voice rang in his ear, „We’re going to use that girl. He leads us to Meritan. I did well to hire her.“

Ray Meritan didn’t recognize the voice. It did not belong to Wilbur Mercer. He was confused, but he squeezed the handles even harder and listened.

„Some extraterrestrial power may be successfully acting on the weakest segment of our society, but that segment – and I am deeply convinced of this – is controlled by a few cynical volunteers at the top like Meritan. They are using this Mercedes mania to fill their own pockets.“ The voice chattered confidently.

When Meritan heard this, he felt he was getting scared. Because this was someone from the other side. Somehow, he got into empathetic contact with him, and not with Wilbur Mercer.

Or did Mercer do it, arranging this situation deliberately? He listened again and heard:

„… we need to get Miss Hiashi from New York to us so we can question her further.“ And then the voice added, „As Herrick said…“

Sample No. [9] p. 11

BOGART CROFTS said, „I didn’t catch Mercer.“

He stepped back slowly, his eyes still fixed on the box of empathy. After a while, he said in an ominous tone, „I caught Meritan. But I don’t know where he is. The moment I grabbed the handles, Meritan did the same somewhere else. We got together and now he knows everything I know. And we know everything he knows, which is not much.“ Stunned, he turned to Minister Herrick. „He doesn’t know much more about Mercer than we do. He tried to get in touch with him. It’s certain he’s not Mercer.“ Then Crofts paused.

„I’m sure there’s more,“ Herrick said, turning to Mr. Lee. „What else did he learn from Meritan, Mr. Lee?“

„Meritan is going to go to New York and try to find Joan Hiashi,“ Mr. Lee read readily from Crofts‘ thoughts. „He learned it from Meritan while their brains were connected.“

„We will prepare for Mr. Meritan’s arrival,“ said Minister Herrick, sneering.

„Do you think I’ve experienced what you telepaths come into contact with all the time?“ asked Crofts to Mr. Lee.

„Only if one of us gets close to another telepath,“ Mr. Lee said. „It can be uncomfortable. We avoid it because if two completely different brains cross, it can damage the psyche. I believe there has been a cross between you and Mr Meritan.‘

Crofts asked, „What are we going to do? We now know that Meritan is innocent. He doesn’t know anything about Mercer or the organization that distributes the boxes.“

There was silence for a while.

„But he is one of the few important people who has joined the Mercerites,“ Minister Herrick said. He handed Crofts a telex. „And he did it quite openly. If that doesn’t bother you, read this—“

„I know he declared himself a Mercer supporter on today’s television program,“ Crofts said in a shaky voice.

„We have before us extraterrestrial forces that come from a completely different solar system,“ said Minister Herrick, „and so we have to be careful every step of the way. We’re going to try to get Meritan through Miss Hiashi. We will release her from prison and monitor her. As soon as Meritan gets in touch with her –“

Sample No. [10] pp. 11- 12.

MINISTER HERRICK lashed out at him. „No wonder those boxes of empathy did so much damage. Now I see it with my own eyes. And I will not give up under any conditions.“

He grabbed the box of empathy Crofts had used earlier. He lifted her above his head and threw her to the ground. The box broke into several pieces. „Don’t take this as childish,“ he said, „I just want to break the connection between us and Meritan. It would do more harm than good.“

„If we catch him,“ Crofts said, „he’ll be able to continue to exert his influence over us.“ He corrected himself, „Or rather, above me.“

„Be that as it may, I intend to continue,“ said Minister Herrick. „And you please present your resignation to me, Mr. Crofts. I intend to look into this matter as well.“ He looked menacing and adamant.

„Minister, I read in Mr. Crofts‘ mind that he is utterly appalled at this point. He was the innocent victim of a situation that Mercer himself may have orchestrated to confuse us. If you accept Mr. Crofts‘ resignation, it means Mercer has succeeded.“

„It doesn’t matter if he accepts it or not,“ Crofts said, „because I’m resigning anyway.“

Mr. Lee sighed, „That box of empathy made you an involuntary telepath for a while, and that was too much for you.“ He tapped Mr. Crofts on the shoulder. „Telepathic power and empathy are two versions of the same thing. It should be said – a box of telepathy. Strangely, these alien beings can produce what we can only develop.“

„Since you’ve read my thoughts, you know what I’m planning. No doubt you will tell the Minister about it.“

Mr. Lee smiled vaguely, „The Minister and I work together for the sake of world peace. We both have our instructions.“ He turned to Herrick. „This man is so down that he now really intends to defect. Join the Mercerites before all the boxes of empathy are discarded. He liked being an involuntary telepath.“

„If you defect,“ Herrick threatened, „you will be arrested. I promise you that.“

Crofts didn’t say a word.

„He hasn’t changed his mind,“ Mr. Lee nodded politely to the two men, clearly amused by the situation.

But in his mind, Mr. Lee thought. That was a really brilliant and bold move from the thing that calls itself Wilbur Mercer. This connection to Crofts through Meritan. Crofts received a strong dose of radiation directly from the center of the movement. The next step, perhaps, is that when Crofts consults the empathy box again – if he can find one – Mercer will approach him personally this time. He addresses his new follower.

They got another person, Mr. Lee realized. They are one step ahead.

But in the end, we will be the ones who win. Because in the end, we manage to destroy all the boxes of empathy, and Mercer can’t do without them. It’s the only way he can contact and control people, like the unfortunate Mr. Crofts here. Without the boxes of empathy, the whole movement is at an end.

---

[1] Carl Gustav Jung: C. G. Jung was intensely and sympathetically interested in the early alternative Christian tradition, now known as Gnosticism. Both in his published writings and in his private memoirs one can find frequent and penetrating remarks on the Gnostic tradition, although for most of Jung’s life the subject of Gnosticism was virtually unknown to all but a few religious scholars. One of the key documents that soon testifies to Jung’s lively interest in Gnosticism was his meticulously crafted book Septem Sermones ad Mortuos, „Seven Sermons to the Dead.“ Jung had it privately printed in 1916, and in the following decades distributed copies to select friends and collaborators. With Jung’s consent, H. G. Baynes translated the text of the Sermon into English, and this edition was privately printed in 1925. Again, Jung distributed the English edition only to persons whom he believed were properly prepared for his message. It remained a generally unknown fact that around 1917 Jung also rewrote the greatly expanded version of the Septem Sermones in the third and final part of his draft manuscript Liber Novus, in a section entitled „Scrutinies.“ There the Sermons appear as a summary revelation of the Liber Novus. Jung never publicly published the existence of this longer version of the Sermon, and until the publication of Liber Novus: The Red Book in 2009, this version of the Sermon remained completely unavailable. (Link to the Czech edition – The Red Book of Carl G. Jung); Source: Carl G. Jung’s Red Book – https://www.cervenakniha.cz/

[2] The Red Book of Carl G. Jung – a unique gift of lasting value. A key to Jung’s work, inspiration to explore one’s inner self and a collector’s item. A unique book by a famous psychoanalyst that lay in a safe for 90 years. Jung’s personal testimony, which he wrote for 16 years. A large-format publication with a facsimile of Jung’s manuscript and two hundred of his own full-page drawings, in exclusive packaging. With an insightful commentary by British historian Sonu Shamdasani, who „rediscovered“ the book; (Link to the Czech edition – The Red Book of Carl G. Jung); Source: Carl G. Jung’s Red Book – https://www.cervenakniha.cz/

[3] Exegesis; https://dickiangnosticism.wordpress.com/2018/02/27/the-exegesis-of-philip-k-dick-table-of-contents/

[4] Mercerism is an artificial construct of the religion of Empathy, created by Philip Kindred Duick, which will be comprehensively explained in this study. This religion appears in full force in The Little Black Box and also in the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

[5] DICK, Philip K. The Golden Man. Plzeň: Laser, 1995. Edition SF. ISBN 80-7193-008-3 – short story The Little Black Box (1964), is part of this collection in the Czech edition.

[6] Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968); in the Czech Republic released in 1993 (2004 second edition) as Blade Runner: Do androids dream of electric sheep? (DICK, Philip K. Blade Runner: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. Ed. 1. Prague: Argo, 2004. ISBN 80-7203-632-7)

[7] Film – Blade Runner is a 1982 cult dystopian science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott, based on the book by Philip K. Dick.

[8] The Little Black Box (1964)), this short story about the box of empathy served the author as the basis for his novel Do Androids Dream of Electronic Sheep? Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968)

[9] Dickiansky Neo-GPhildickian Gnosticism It is more difficult (briefly) and (perfectly) to define, or at least always define well (well, with a full description of the individual ideas of the writer PKD). The reason is simple (every reader) of short stories and books PKD understands that the moment he reads all of Dick’s work from his subjective, multi-factor distorted point of view; this always happens to you (not only when studying PKD), whether you want it or not, you can understand every word, every expression differently at one moment than a day later, the same is true with the explanation of individual terms in PKD. So there is a healthy golden rule that everyone (Phildickian) GEvery day he discovers new secrets in the work of PKD (sometimes it can remind us of the Sisyphean work, or the futile efforts of the prophet Wilbur Mercer from the book Blade Runner in the original based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? – Do androids dream of electric sheep?).

[10] DICK, Philip K. The Golden Man. Plzeň: Laser, 1995. Edition SF. ISBN 80-7193-008-3

[11] Mercer – An entity with which people „connect“ using an empathic shell. By proving that he can empathize with another person, he also proves that he is not an android. The grim gag here is that to prove you’re human, you have to empathize with the machine; Source: PKDicktionary, by Simon Hickinbotham

[12] It happened that for the first time in February (subsequently in March) 1974 PKD was directly touched by a pink information beam coming from space, from a space probe, which PKD immediately called VALIS. This probe served, figuratively as PKD understood it, as a possible tool of an extraterrestrial god, and this Deity through the transmitter addressed PKD with a pink information beam that was sent directly into the mind of PKD and gave him the first message (which then continued until the end of Dick’s life). PKD understood the term V.A.L.I.S. to mean that it encountered a huge Active Living Information System, in French S.I.V.A. – c’est Système Intelligent Vivant et Agissant.

[13] Android https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/android 

[14] TLBB I – VI … The Little Black Box, Chapters I to VI; p. XX … pages Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (English version has 110 pages of text)

[15] TLBB I – VI … The Little Black Box, Chapters I to VI; p. XX … pages Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (English version has 110 pages of text)

[16] TLBB I – VI … The Little Black Box, Chapters I to VI; p. XX … pages Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (English version has 110 pages of text)

[17] TLBB I – VI … The Little Black Box, Chapters I to VI; p. XX … pages Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (English version has 110 pages of text)

[18] TLBB I – VI … The Little Black Box, Chapters I to VI; p. XX … pages Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (English version has 110 pages of text)

[19] Mercer – Entity, with which people „connect“ through an empathic box. By proving that he can empathize with another person, he also proves that he is not an android. The grim gag here is that to prove you’re human, you have to empathize with the machine; Source: PKDicktionary, by Simon Hickinbotham

[20] Definition of prophet 1: one who utters divinely inspired revelations: such as aoften capitalized : the writer of one of the prophetic books of the Bible bcapitalized : one regarded by a group of followers as the final authoritative revealer of God’s will Muhammad, the Prophet of Allah 2: one gifted with more than ordinary spiritual and moral insight especially : an inspired poet 3:  one who foretells future events : PREDICTOR 4: an effective or leading spokesman for a cause, doctrine, or group 5Christian Science a: a spiritual seer b: disappearance of material sense before the conscious facts of spiritual Truth; https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prophet

[21] Mercer – Entity, with which people „connect“ through an empathic box. By proving that he can empathize with another person, he also proves that he is not an android. The grim gag here is that to prove you’re human, you have to empathize with the machine; Source: PKDicktionary, by Simon Hickinbotham

[22] TLBB I – VI … The Little Black Box, Chapters I to VI; p. XX … pages Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (English version has 110 pages of text)

[23] TLBB I – VI … The Little Black Box, Chapters I to VI; p. XX … pages Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (English version has 110 pages of text)

[24] TLBB I – VI … The Little Black Box, Chapters I to VI; p. XX … pages Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (English version has 110 pages of text)

[25] Albert Camus was a French novelist, essayist, and playwright. He is best known for his novels The Stranger (1942), The Plague (1947), and The Fall (1956). Camus was awarded the 1957 Nobel Prize for Literature „for his important literary production, which with clear-sighted earnestness illuminates the problems of the human conscience in our times.“; Source – https://www.britannica.com/biography/Albert-Camus 

[26] Sisyphus (Latin: Sisyphus) in Greek mythology, he was the son of Aiol and his wife Enarete. His grandfather was Hellen, the forefather of all Greeks. He became the founder and first king of Corinth. Source: https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisyfos

[27] The Myth of Sisyphus; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Myth_of_Sisyphus

[28] Jesus Christ – Jesus (born about 7 and 1 BC in Bethlehem. Also known as Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus of Nazareth, he was a Jewish traveler preacher and founder of Christianity. He preached the soon coming of the kingdom of God, called for conversion or repentance, and was executed for his views. Christians usually call Jesus the Christ (the Anointed One, the Messiah) and consider Jesus to be the Son of God and ultimately the resurrected savior of the world.

[29] TLBB I – VI … The Little Black Box, Chapters I to VI; p. XX … pages Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (English version has 110 pages of text)

[30] Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968); in the Czech Republic released in 1993 (2004 second edition) as Blade Runner: Do androids dream of electric sheep? (DICK, Philip K. Blade Runner: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. Ed. 1. Prague: Argo, 2004. ISBN 80-7203-632-7); Chapter 3.

[31] (3) Texts inspired by the PhilDickian Gnosticism website – Introduction to PhilDickian Gnosticism – https://samanskecesty.wordpress.com/2021/04/08/3-texty-inspirovane-z-webu-phildickian-gnosticism-uvod-phildickian-gnosticismu/

[32] TLBB I – VI … The Little Black Box, Chapters I to VI; p. XX … pages Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (English version has 110 pages of text)

[33] TLBB I – VI … The Little Black Box, Chapters I to VI; p. XX … pages Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (English version has 110 pages of text)

[34] Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968); in the Czech Republic released in 1993 (2004 second edition) as Blade Runner: Do androids dream of electric sheep? (DICK, Philip K. Blade Runner: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. Ed. 1. Prague: Argo, 2004. ISBN 80-7203-632-7); Chapter 6.

[35] Technical detailed specification – http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/content.asp?Bnum=130

[36] Heather Ferguson, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?; quote from the book on the subject of Mood Organ (Mood Organ) Penfield ; source: https://www.csus.edu/indiv/t/tanakar/190c2/output/htrand.htm

[37] Agapé (Greek): One of several Greek words for love, as opposed to eros (sexual love) and philia (friendship); it is often used to describe God’s or Christ’s love for people. In Dick’s use, which is based on the description of the transcendent love of the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 13, the term is identified with empathy.

[38] Quotes from the web http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/content.asp?Bnum=124

[39] Quote from the book, chapter one – DICK, Philip K. Blade Runner: Do androids dream of electric sheep?. Prague: Argo, 2004. ISBN 80-7203-632-7.

[40] 1) Synthetic man, „Who I’ve always thought of as a robot In the novel –  We Can Build You, 1972. It was originally used for lunar exploration, but if the ruling monadal guidance system is supplied with a full set of data related to a character (the UCLA transcribes the data into an instruction punched tape for you), then the Simulakra can take over that person’s personality. Edwin M. Stanton’s prototype cost $6,000 to build. Then they built Abraham Lincoln. Entrepreneur Sam K. Barrows wanted to settle new cities on the Moon in simulacry so that the first human colonists would not be lonely (see also famnexdo); Source: PKDicktionary, by Simon Hickinbotham + 2) Simulakrum (plural: simulakra), from the Latin simulare, „to imitate, to appear“, It is understood as an emptied image, a mere form without content, an icon, an imitation. Reference: https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simulakrum

[41] DICK, Philip K. Simulakra. Translated by Robert TSCHORN. Prague: Argo, 2017. ISBN 978-80-257-2096-7.

[42] Rick Deckard is a fictional character, the protagonist of Philip K. Dick’s 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. Harrison Ford portrayed the character in the 1982 film adaptation, Blade Runner, and reprised his role in the 2017 sequel, Blade Runner 2049; Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Deckard

[43] The Voight-Kampff machine is a fictional interrogation tool, originating from the novel (where it is spelled „Voigt-Kampff“). The Voight-Kampff is a polygraph-like machine used by blade runners to determine whether an individual is a replicant; Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blade_Runner

[44] TLBB I – VI … The Little Black Box, Chapters I to VI; p. XX … pages Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (English version has 110 pages of text)

[45] Heather Ferguson, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?; quote from the book on the subject of Mood Organ (Mood Organ) Penfield ; source: https://www.csus.edu/indiv/t/tanakar/190c2/output/htrand.htm

[46] Zenia Aguilera – Phillip K. Dick; https://www.csus.edu/indiv/t/tanakar/190c2/output/zenikd.htm

[47] Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968); in the Czech Republic released in 1993 (2004 second edition) as Blade Runner: Do androids dream of electric sheep? (DICK, Philip K. Blade Runner: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. Ed. 1. Prague: Argo, 2004. ISBN 80-7203-632-7); Chapter 3.

[48] Transhumanism (sometimes abbreviated to >H or H+) [1] is an international intellectual and cultural movement that promotes the use of new scientific discoveries and technologies to improve human mental and physical abilities and, in turn, improvements in undesirable and unnecessary aspects of the human shell, such as stupidity, suffering, disease, aging, and involuntary death. To this end, transhumanist thinkers critically study the possibilities and implications of the development and use of human enhancement techniques and other incoming technologies. The possible dangers, as well as the benefits, of powerful technologies that could rapidly change the conditions of human life are equally of concern to transhumanists; Source: https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transhumanismus

[49] Karel Capek (Czech: [ˈkarɛl ˈtʃapɛk] (listen); 9 January 1890 – 25 December 1938) was a Czech writer, playwright and critic. He has become best known for his science fiction, including his novel War with the Newts (1936) and play R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots, 1920), which introduced the word robot. He also wrote many politically charged works dealing with the social turmoil of his time. Influenced by American pragmatic liberalism, he campaigned in favor of free expression and strongly opposed the rise of both fascism and communism in Europe; Source – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karel_Capek

[50] Heather Ferguson, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?; quote from the book on the subject of Mood Organ (Mood Organ) Penfield ; source: https://www.csus.edu/indiv/t/tanakar/190c2/output/htrand.htm

[51] The conflict between science and God in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? The conflict between science and God in Androids Dream of Electric Sheep; by Ann Y. Mous; https://www.csus.edu/indiv/t/tanakar/190c2/output/goddroid.htm

[52] Zenia Aguilera – Phillip K. Dick; https://www.csus.edu/indiv/t/tanakar/190c2/output/zenikd.htm

[53] Citace from the web http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/content.asp?Bnum=124

[54] Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968); in the Czech Republic released in 1993 (2004 second edition) as Blade Runner: Do androids dream of electric sheep? (DICK, Philip K. Blade Runner: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. Ed. 1. Prague: Argo, 2004. ISBN 80-7203-632-7); Chapter 7.

[55] Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968); in the Czech Republic released in 1993 (2004 second edition) as Blade Runner: Do androids dream of electric sheep? (DICK, Philip K. Blade Runner: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. Ed. 1. Prague: Argo, 2004. ISBN 80-7203-632-7); Chapter 18.

[56] Poeme: Victoria Christy – Sub Specie Oeternitatis – https://www.poeme-france.com/auteur/victoria-christy/texte-169215; will be listed in an annex at the end of the holy extract