The "how" of the technology was not explained, but many of his stories did revolve around "what if"s involving science. Minority Report is a prime example--what are the implications of being able to predict crimes? Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep--what if you could make an android that is nearly indistinguishable from human--and then trick it into thinking it is human?
Many of his stories revolve around the question of "what is human", and that is a current hot topic; the entire abortion issue is not one of rights, but one of definition (if the fetus is human, then abortion is manslaughter and only justified in self defense, if it is not human, then it isn't) and the issue of the ethics of stem cell research and human cloning.
To a degree, the issue of genetically modified organisms begs similar questions--what is "natural" and what is "unnatural"? PETA is all for the eradication of all domesticated animals (including cats and dogs) because they were bred by humans, and are therefore "unnatural"--presumably because humans are also "unnatural" (otherwise they'd have to attack all symbiotic species, because humans and domestic animals are symbiotes (we may eat them, but we first spread their genomes far more than they would otherwise)).
Dick's work isn't, I'll admit, "hard SF", but it is to a large extent very perceptive and foward thinking, and tightly tied to scientific and technological progress. |
