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How much of what we call reality is actually
out there, or rather, within our own head?
Helen is a thought-experiment that takes brain-in-a-vat theory to its full extent. Brain Helen, mature, genderless, was raised in a petri dish in a sterile cleanroom. She now resides in a glass jar where she receives full life support but no sensory input. She has never received any sense data from any source. As a condition of this thought experiment, she has no racial, genetic, or ancestral memories. She’s just a plain brain representing a state of awareness without appearance; Brahman on a human scale.
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"Reality is just a point of view."
Philip K. Dick (1928–1982) was an American science fiction writer known for his visionary, paranoid, and deeply philosophical works that questioned the nature of reality, identity, and perception. Dick published more than 40 novels and over 120 short stories, many exploring themes of artificial intelligence, altered states, and totalitarian control. Though he struggled with financial instability and mental health throughout his life, Dick’s writing has had a profound influence on science fiction, philosophy, and popular culture, inspiring films such as Bladerunner, Total Recall, Minority Report, and A Scanner Darkly. His work continues to resonate for its exploration of what it means to be human in an increasingly artificial world.