Mercerism

Summary

In the science fiction universe of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? The predominant religion is that of Mercerism, which has a philosophy of increasing empathy for others. Mercerism is a technology based religion which uses a pseudo virtual reality technology called "empathy boxes" that connects many users simultaneously to a virtual collective suffering experience. That is centered around a supposed martyr character, Wilbur Mercer. Who in the context of the virtual reality eternally climbs up a hill while being hit with crashing stones that feed off of the negativity of the users connected to the "empathy box". This philosophy of shared suffering is similar to ideas of utilitarianism and eudaimonia. There is also a connection to the ancient Greek myth of Sisyphus condemned by the Gods to eternally roll a heavy boulder up a hill only to have it roll over him every time.