Human emotions are created by chemicals in the brain, these chemicals release different amounts to produce certain emotions. In Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, within the first few pages we are introduced to this concept of the human emotions being regulated by what they call a “Mood Organ”. These devices allow them to enter in a particular number or code and produce that kind of emotion. On the first page in a conversation between characters it is said “If you set the surge high enough, you’ll be glad you’re awake,” (Dick 3). While this concept seems cool and like it would make waking up was easier, I feel as though this is not natural. They are setting their bodies like clocks to produce a certain thing at a certain time so they don’t have to deal with being tired? I feel as though this dehumanizes their emotions as they are already preset to be felt. How would you feel having the mood organ present in everyday life with all emotions already predetermined for you?
Citation:
Dick, Philip K. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. New York: Penguin Random House, 1968. Print.
I feel like having a Mood Organ in real life would be both a blessing and a curse. Similar to an iPhone, people would absolutely get addicted to the “good” feelings the mood organ would provide. I for one am so in tuned with my phone it’s almost like another limb I simply could not live without, but conversely I’m so conscious of the fact that I’m absorbed by the worlds of social media that I really need to stop. I feel like people would buy into the hype of the mood organ, overuse it, and then be burned out, emotionless husks. On a personal level, yes I would like to feel happy all the time, or be able to dial down my annoyance with a talkative coworker at the push of a button, but I also feel like that’s intrusive to the human experience of impulsive emotion.
I think the Mood Organ is extremely disturbing, especially when Iran mentions the sexual desire setting and her own indifference to whichever setting Deckard puts her on. It reminded me almost of a cross between Brave New World’s stoma, hedonism, and indifference and the emotional repression of the movie Equilibrium. Dick seems to be implying that emotions run deeper than just chemicals in the brain. Sure, Deckard can dial in his wife to recognize his wisdom, but did she actually feel that way? There’s a fine line between altering your emotional state and altering your personality.
If these things truly existed, I’d see them as an abomination. While they might seem helpful at first, at a certain point it becomes a question of which thoughts are even yours anymore.
In everyday life, I would consider that having a Mood Organ, with all emotions predetermined, could be a positive, and a negative thing, just as @rrios said before me. As someone who suffers from anxiety, a positive of possibly having a Mood Organ could be that I could set it to produce a more social, and less anxious mood; a mood that could help me not worry about what other people think of me, and help me be more socially-comfortable in human-interactions.
On a negative note, a Mood Organ would make life seem artificial. To me, the whole point of life is to have different experiences, and fulfill our purposes as humans. Artificial happiness or sadness could alter the effect of different experiences, instead of letting them alter a persons mood naturally. For example, riding a roller-coaster for the first time. If you are scared to ride your first roller-coaster and you naturally experience it, you are likely to shake, and be anxious before and after the ride. If you use your Mood Organ to alter your mood to be excited and calm, it would take away the whole experience of riding your first roller-coaster.
This is a great question, and I look forward to reading some other comments.