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Phillip K. Dick

 Phillip K. Dick Research

    Phillip K. Dick was an extremely influential figure in science fiction history. As an author, he has written many critically acclaimed novels, the most well-known being "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" which inspired the 1982 film, Blade Runner. Dick speaks of a unique religious experience he had in which he encountered God, or a god-like being, which sparked his creativity in writing science fiction. 

    Dick lectured an essay in 1977 entitled, "If You Find This World Bad, You Should See Some of the Others." He explained his idea of parallel universes, and how there are multiple different realities. However, Phillip K. Dick not only believed that this was true but that he was living back and forth between two different realities. He struggled a lot with his mental health and things that he saw, claiming to have numerous paranormal experiences that contributed to this. 

    Dick's vision of VALIS (Vast Active Living Intelligence System), a god-like being which he wrote a trilogy about, represents what he claims to have invaded his mind in causing him to think the way that he did. While the VALIS trilogy seems super far-fetched, it makes you wonder if PKD was true in having divine knowledge. Throughout this trilogy, as well as in his other novels, you see the way that Dick was able to essentially predict the future as many science fiction authors do. The technology and ideas of the futuristic society depicted in his work was later on developed.

    The question is raised as to whether Phillip K. Dick is a genius or simply insane. While he did struggle a lot with mental health issues, some of the things he predicted did turn out to be true. Among his theories that seem to be somewhat bizarre, there is definitely some truth in what he suspects; he was definitely a man before his time. 



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