Blade RunnerQuestion: Suppose that the Voigt-Kampff test did not exist and that there were no methods to tell if someone were human or replicant. Would that mean that a given replicant was indeed fully human?

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Blade Runner

Question: Suppose that the Voigt-Kampff test did not exist and that there were no methods to tell if someone were human or replicant. Would that mean that a given replicant was indeed fully human?

The film Blade Runner directed by Ridley Scott, is based on the science fiction novel by Phillip K. Dick entitled Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Set in the a dystopian Los Angeles, in the year 2019, main character Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) is a retired law enforcement officer who is coerced back into service for a special mission. A group of enslaved replicants have returned to Earth to find a way of extending their lifespan. These replicants, manufactured by the Tyrell Corporation, are genetically engineered human-like creatures designed to live for only a few years. Deckard's duty as a "blade runner" is to hunt them down and kill them. However, after meeting Rachael, one of the replicants he is ordered to kill, he defies the rules by falling in love with her.

The film raises many philosophical arguments regarding genetic engineering and the social implications that accompany it. The main area of question in Blade Runner seems to be defining what it means to be a human. At first glance, there is seemingly no difference between a human and a replicant. The only way to determine this fact is by undergoing the Voigt-Kampff test, comprised of a series of questions to analyse emotional response. If this test were no longer in existence, this would mean that there was virtually no way of physically determining a replicant from a human. Replicants possess many physical and emotional qualities identical to humans; however, there are aspects on many levels in which there are significant differences. From this, we can determine that Nexus-6 replicants are just...