人类珍惜动物，也把拥有动物当成身份

《Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep》里的动物几乎灭绝，活着的动物因此同时成了生命、财产和道德证明。拥有一匹马，会让人显得有地位，也显得具有同理心。人与动物的连接没有因此变得纯粹，珍惜、炫耀、攀比和身份欲望全叠在同一个对象上。

How are humans’ relationships with animals strange? - In this post-apocalyptic setting, most animals are extinct therefore remaining animals are so rare that people proud themselves for owning animals. Owning an animal becomes a symbol of status. Does this relationship differ from that with other humans? - It is certainly different. People may be more proud to have an animal than develop connections with other humans.

Rachael 露出破绽，是因为她把猫头鹰称作“it”而不是“her”。小说开头那则 Reuters 消息也用了“it”：一只活了近两百年、被汤加人视为 chief 的陆龟，死后仍被报道成一件送往博物馆的动物标本。我当时的反应是：

活了两百年的陆龟去世。虽然是当地人心目中的精神领袖，保护神，记者在报道时使用的指代依然是“IT”，潜意识里还是一只动物，死后被送往博物馆展出。试想如果真的是受人尊敬的存在，比如家里老人去世，会想着把老人遗体送去博物馆展出吗？作为全书的开头警句，暗示着书中对活体动物的渴望充满着讽刺。

这里和 君子远庖厨 的问题不同。那边讨论吃肉时死亡与虐待的界线，这里讨论人怎样借动物确认“我是谁”。演化的成功不是个体的幸福 又提供了另一种样本：一个物种数量很多，不代表单个动物受到尊重。

AUCKLAND A TURTLE WHICH EXPLORER CAPTAIN COOK GAVE TO THE KING OF TONGA IN 1777 DIED YESTERDAY. IT WAS NEARLY 200 YEARS OLD. THE ANIMAL, CALLED TU'IMALILA, DIED AT THE ROYAL PALACE GROUND IN THE TONGAN CAPITAL OF NUKU, ALOFA. THE PEOPLE OF TONGA REGARDED THE ANIMAL ^^AS A CHIEF AND SPECIAL KEEPERS^^ WERE APPOINTED TO LOOK AFTER IT. IT WAS BLINDED IN A BUSH FIRE A FEW YEARS AGO. TONGA RADIO SAID TU'IMALILA'S CARCASS WOULD BE SENT TO THE AUCKLAND MUSEUM IN NEW ZEALAND. Reuters, 1966 How do empathy, the empathy box and Mercerism figure into human relationships? - Rick stated that if Barbour does not sell him one of his horse, he will violate the basic structure of Mercerism, which atta ches importance on empathy. It seems to be some kinds of moral standards introduced to this post-apocalyptic world to maintain the fundamental order of the society.

狄德罗效应：一次消费会改写周围物品的标准 和 奢侈品终将变成必需品 讲的是这套攀比怎样自己往前跑。Dick 把它推到了尽头：在一个真动物几乎绝迹的世界里，邻居有一匹马，你就不能只有一只电子羊。

身份型习惯：身份由重复行动提供证据 提示了为什么养一只动物这件事特别适合承载身份：它需要每天喂，所以是一份持续的、看得见的证据。

君子远庖厨 是同一处矛盾在现实里的样子。书里的人一边把珍惜动物写进宗教，一边把动物当成炫耀品；而这两件事在他们那里毫不冲突，正如它们在我们这里也毫不冲突。 ——收入 读书笔记 · 一得

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