In Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, Rick Deckard is sent to the Rosen Corporation to determine if the Voigt-Kamff machine can determine whether someone is a human or a Nexus-6 andy. Rick explains that the the machine tests for involuntary bodily reactions to specific phrases that would invoke empathy in any human. If one does not have these empathetic responses, then they cannot possibly be human. This implies that the defining difference between human and machine is our ability to empathize. When he administers this test to Rachael Rosen, she almost makes him believe she is human. This shows that she did have some empathetic responses.
Since we have recently discussed that millennials are less empathetic than than prior generations, this brought me to two questions: Do you feel any less human because we are considered less empathetic? How far off are we from being Rachael?
Empathy is an important part of being human. Although I am a millennial, I believe that I’m an empathetic person and don’t feel any less human because I could be considered less empathetic. Rachel the kind of android that is an actual robot that looks and acts as a human. We are pretty far off from this type of an android, but we have already become androids in some way. In today’s society we rely very heavily on technology and our lives have become dictated by it. Our smartphones are the biggest example of this. We carry them everywhere and use them for everything from checking the weather to face timing people from across the world.
I do not believe that we as millennials are less empathetic, as we have the capacity to have empathy. I feel that empathy’s existence isn’t the only piece that makes us human. That lack of empathy alone dose not completely talk away ones humanity. With that said I still think we are closer to being like Rachael. Our world view influences is that concept as the reality in the novel is more sensitive to certain circumstances unlike in our own day and age.
Honestly sometimes I do feel less human (or like there’s something wrong with me) in situations where I don’t have empathy. It’s natural to not be empathetic towards every situation that life throws at us. However, we should at least be empathetic towards serious topics. I am empathetic for the most part, but naturally like anyone some situations don’t have as big of an impact on us as they probably should. To go along with the theory of us possibly being like Rachael, I feel as though now that we are all so into our different social media platforms, we are influenced by others and the world that surrounds us, which essentially makes a Rachael because we are programmed to feel certain ways towards different things and just go along with the everyday motions in life.
Personally, I feel as if I am very capable of showing empathy in a majority of situations where it is needed. I know that some people are less empathetic nowadays but when it comes to me, I still feel 100% human and nothing about others being less empathetic changes that. Once again, I feel like I’m very empathetic so therefore I feel like I am no where close to being like Rachel but I can see how some people can be like her.
I disagree that millennials are a less empathetic generation. As a whole, I think that we are one of the most empathetic and understanding generations to exist. Overall our generation is very accepting and aware of the difficulties others who are out of the ordinary face every day and I think that we carry a large population of people who believe in equality and fair treatment, and attempt to improve the suffering of others. We are huge advocates for LGBT rights, racial and social justice/equality, women’s rights, etc. Is that not empathy? And when compared to many other generations before us who never had an open mind to anyone who is different or out of the ordinary and advocated for inequality and social abuse I’d say we are more human and have a higher capacity for empathy.
One of the major reasons millennials are considered to show less empathy is a continuing and growing reliance on technology. When one removes technology from an environment and instead replaces it with human interaction and face-to-face conversation, then empathy has a chance to grow. Think about it, can one get to know someone and feel empathy towards that person better through texting, or through sitting down across a table and talking to him or her. Though we may be considered less empathetic as a generation, we are no different than the previous generations if you remove the technological barriers. In the book however, Rachel is limited on how her empathetic response can occur or be initiated; she cannot remove herself from her technological bindings for it is her technological bindings that create her.