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How Tech Constructs Our Reality
What Stories Are True in Your Universe? Examining the words of the enigmatic Philip K. Dick.
Author Philip K. Dick’s existentialist philosophy found its way into his literary works in a fantastical sense. It most notably took — I dare say its “literal” reasoning — when he was given the opportunity to speak publicly. From theories on simulated universes to lives being lived simultaneously in different historical timelines, Dick did his best to bring a sense of logic to far-out ideas.
However, perhaps his most overlooked and likely most notable words of wisdom came during his famous “How To Build A Universe That Doesn’t Fall Apart Two Days Later” speech at Disney in 1978, where he spoke on the power storytellers hold in shaping our reality (amongst other topics). While stories shape our realities, he noted that stories also find themselves full of chaos, character development, and usually aim to better explain or further understand an idea.
Dick’s speech at Disney in 1978 was a wild ride. During it, he revealed that some of the stories he wrote turned out to be prophecies of sorts, in so far that he eventually met the characters he wrote about and found that they were living the actual lives he penned. The speech is rich and worth a read in its entirety, if not to at least ponder what those in attendance thought of Dick’s revelations.
