Sunday, April 13, 2008

The Hum(usic)achine

In Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, Dick never directly says that the Penfield Mood Organ is a musical instrument. But the way that characters adjust its dials to induce certain moods (e.g., acknowledgment of husband's wisdom or desire to watch television), it's easy to interpret the device as one that plays music. This is especially true given increasing research that shows a close relationship between the structure of music and the way the brain functions. However, the word "organ" also may imply that it is simply some kind of external, artificial body part a la Existenz.

How would Oliver Sacks read it?

1 comment:

elliott.will said...

I wonder too about the weird terms of interface (the "min" of "there"-ness) between the musician's body and the Theremin, which might well be called a mood organ also. YouTube here.