Introduction

In this blog I will explore the branch of postmodernism that is concerned with androids, simulation and the concept of being human. I will focus of three postmodern commentators, Jean Baudrillard, Jean-Francis Lyotard and Nigel Wheale, and their writings on my chosen topics. I will then write a critical analysis on Philip K. Dick’s classic science fiction novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (1968) and Ridley Scott’s adaptation of the novel, Blade Runner: The Director’s Cut (1991). Both the novel and the film explore many aspects of postmodernism but my primary interest is in their representation of simulation, the android and what it is to be human. I have chosen to use Blade Runner: The Director’s Cut because the ending is different to the original 1982 theatrical release thus increasing its suitability for this study. To satisfy audience expectation, therefore making the film more commercial, the theatrical version was given an uplifting ending (Redmond 2008: p. 70-71). Conversely, the director’s cut ending is ambiguous by suggesting that the protagonist, Deckard, played by Harrison Ford, may be a replicant (android), the very being he is employed to kill, or retire, as this action is euphemistically labelled (Redmond 2008: p. 73).