Book Review: Philip K. Dick and Philosophy Do Androids have Kindred Spirits Edited by D.E.Wittkower

 

Philip K. Dick and Philosophy Do Androids have Kindred Spirits Edited by D.E.Wittkower

350 pages Paperback

 October 2011, Open Court publishing

I have mixed feelings about this book. It is in the popular culture and philosophy series. I think every popular TV show has one. My first experience was with The Man in The High Castle edition, we had one of the co-editors on a panel episode about Man in the High Castle. Like that book, The highs are very high, and the lows are super low. I have respect for editor D.E. Wittkower who I interviewed on background for a chapter of Unfinished PKD.

In the 350 pages, there are 30 or so essays and two Philip K. Dick short stories. I would say maybe 15 of the essays are valuable. The ones that are not are written by academics who frustratingly write about the movies based on PKD stuff and at best have read the novels or stories related to such novels. That’s it.  

The ones that are valuable are written by researchers who have read everything and can for example go deep on Solar Lottery.  The 10th Ben Saunders essay “How to Build a Democracy that Doesn’t fall apart Two Hundred Years Later” is more than a title that plays with one of Phil’s deep-cut essay titles. It is a really valuable look at Solar Lottery, but highlights understanding of the entire PKD canon which for a nerd like me is super valuable. This essay was enough to justify the book and the money I spent.  

I had a similar reaction to Andrew Butler’s excellent essay “If the Universe Isn’t Real How Should We Treat Other People.” This essay did an excellent job of looking at the entire PKD  catalog and the implications of his What is Reality questioning.

Major props to  Wittkower D.E. for Time in Unfixed Are You, a totally backward essay on Counter clock world. “.Precog a are you”

I liked the little PKD humor like calling the About the authors “Skin Jobs.” There are plenty of essays that you will end up skipping. Adjustment Bureau was the most recently released movie so it will feel like there is way too much focus on that one- because there absolutely is. The good is good enough to put it on your shelf if you are a serious Dickhead.