Review Sheet for Second Science Fiction Exam:
Sources: Bladerunner, The Adventures of Baron Munchaesen, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Ludvig Holberg’s Niels Klim’s Journey to the Underground World, Plato’s Phaedrus and Herodotus’s Histories

Compare the forms of social control found in the narrative of Ludvig Holberg and Philip K. Dick’s book, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Are the societies portrayed as distopias? Why or why not?  

Herodotus does not necessarily think that verifiable facts are superior to fiction as a means for seeking and relating the truth about human life and Holberg writes a satire in which he tells you that learned people should believe in the wonderful, or fantastic elements in his story. What do you think that the authors are trying to tell you about human nature in their stories that contain fantastic elements?

Explain what makes human beings human using evidence from Plato’s Phaedrus, Herodotus’s Histories, the film Bladerunner, and the novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Both Herodotus’s Histories and Philip K. Dick’s book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? tell stories about persons who dream of advancing their fortunes through wealth or material conquests.  Has anything changed over time about the way in which people try to advance their status to appear better than their peers?