a thought experiment debate
*note: outside links and references are NOT open source and belong to their respective owners
Ok, so, sexbots are considered kind-of a silly idea that few professional engineers and scholars are talking about but I think it is a looming debate which is going to be a big deal sometime in the near future. So, in a blatant attempt to exploit sex to get more hits on the website, I would like to treat the existence of sexbots and our interaction with then as a thought experiment and maybe get some idea of what it’s going to look like.
The reason I think that sexbots are important and relevant to giant robots is that the related technology is androids.
I mean, this is the future isn’t it? It’s 20-frickn’-12 for crying out loud!
Where’s my robot butler?
according to Wikipedia
The word “Robot” comes from the Czech word “robota,” which means “slave-like labor.”
Anyway, the idea I’m thinkn’ here is that a robot (or more specifically, an android) is the machine equivalent of a slave. It has the form of a human and does manual work that we don’t want to do.
Here is where out thought experiment debate begins
Is it just a machine?
and
How does man interact with it?
and
Is it moral or immoral?
If you beat a human slave it’s immoral because you have enslaved a human and beat them.
If you buy a machine and then hit it you are damaging your own property.
Harming yourself or your property is also bad but is it as bad as hurting someone else?
enter moral realtivism……Dun dun DUN
Ok, now let’s bring sexbots into the idea and imagine what conflict might arise from the most extreme examples to provoke our thought experiment debate
A = for
B = against
A: What’s the big deal? If someone is in their bed room interacting with a machine and not interacting with other people they are not really doing anything to effect anyone else or society.
B: If their robot is in the shape of a child or an animal then that means they are a pedophile or into bestiality and that is illegal.
A: Even if that were the case, isn’t it better for that person to interact with a machine in staid of hurting a child or an animal?
B: It encourages that kind of behavior.
A: Does it encourage it or does it fulfill that desire making it less likely that the individual in question will seek out the real thing instead of going for the machine?
All ready we have entered the realm of criminal psychology and left engineering.
This also brings in the idea of illegal mods.
For instance, If the sexbot has “these” measurement than it is ok but if has
“those” measurement then it is illegal.
Now we have gotten into regulation of what you do in your bed with your robot.
Wow, what a thought experiment!
Now for another argument.
B = Against
A = For
B: If a guy sticks hid d*** in a toaster and kills himself does the blame fall upon the toaster maker or the man?
A: I would think if someone advertises some thing as a toaster and you stick your d*** in it the you are misusing the equipment and the blame would fall on you.
B: The sex bot is something that is advertised as a device of physical pleasure but in its application the user and society are harmed morally.
A: The previous argument was a purely physical example but how do you judge moral or psychological harm/benefit to an individual and the effect on society? I would argue that sexbots are good for the individual because they make people happy, reduce stress and encourage physical exercise.
B: Sexbots harm the individual and society because they are an artificial replacement for human interaction and diminish social skills.
A: Having a sexbot will make someone a better lover through more experience and building endurance.
B: They will make worse lovers because what you do with your robot and how you treat it may not be acceptable to a human lover thereby encouraging bad behavior in bed.
A: Sexbots will improve the lives of people who are too shy, disabled, ect. who would otherwise not get to experience sex by providing a facsimile.
B: They will discourage people from improving themselves and seeking out real relationships by providing an easy alternative.
ETC.
There is also the sexbot’s potential effect on
prostitution
human trafficking
the possibility and dangers of telepresence
couples relationships
the porn industry
sex addiction
public health
religion
and
the economy
YES! Even the economy!
According to the rather gloomy outlook of Chris Illuminati over at askmen.com, guys won’t even bother to buy soap or razor blades or take women out to eat or to the movies or get married or anything. Without all that money spent on impressing and entertaining women the economy will go to hell…..apparently.
I am paraphrasing a bit here to have some fun but that’s basically what he said.
In preparing for this article I did a bit of internet browsing to see if anyone was talking about this subject since the last time I checked several years ago. There are a few discussions going on but there is still a surprising lack of information.
You would think that sexbots would be a big topic on the internet.
Are we to let Futurama and Austin Powers be our moral lighthouse as we encounter this issue in the future?
I did find a rather lively and hilarious conversation in the comments section on a blog entitled
Feminists seek legislation over sex bots
WARNING: If you navigate away from here to read that it probably has some explicit language and graphic content. I haven’t read all the comments so I’m just sayn’
http://theantifeminist.com/feminists-seek-legislation-over-sex-bots/
Although the discussion is framed in the subject of feminism instead of robots and ethics in general, it brings up lots of related moral and social issues.
Now, I know that there are people out there working on sexbots and there are some elaborate sex dolls already. The reason I don’t reference them specifically is that this blog entry is meant to be more about the question of ethics and morality and how we interact with sexbots in general.
In my research I learned that even things like ethics and morality are not pinned down and are still being debated.
In conducting this thought experiment so far I feel less informed and more confused. I have barely scratched the surface of this issue and yet, in arguing both sides of the debate I can find no clear victor or more persuading argument. I guess what we have learned so far is that it is a topic that does not have clearly distinguishable morality and perhaps that is the very reason we need to start thinking about it now. It is because of this ethical grey area that there is a real danger. I think you could get a clever lawyer to argue one side or the other and end up with some really weird legislation.
I have to end this article somehow but it is difficult for me to do so without any kind of real conclusion on the issue. I guess the result of our thought experiment demonstrates that sexbots and the morality of how we interact with them is an open-ended issue. It has the potential to be a moral quagmire that is simultaneously a mine field!
or
It could end up to be no big deal.
I guess we’ll have to wait and see what really happens but I just think we should be more prepared for it when we get there.
I’m just sayn’
—
Here are some other people talking about this issue.
The comments section is where it’s at!
WARNING: again, external links probably have explicit language and are NOT open source and they have ads on them.
How Will Sexbots Change The World?
By Chris Illuminati
http://www.askmen.com/entertainment/austin_500/560_how-will-sexbots-change-the-world.html
The Sexbots Are Coming! The Sexbots Are Coming!
Posted by Dan Savage on Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 9:02 AM
http://www.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2009/12/16/the-sexbots-are-coming-the-sexbots-are-coming&view=comments
Sexbots for Women
by Hank Pellissier
Ethical Technology
Posted: Aug 3, 2011
http://ieet.org/index.php/IEET/more/pellissier20110803
“Robots and Sex” lecture to discuss technology and ethics
http://mustangdaily.net/robots-and-sex-lecture-discusses-technology-and-ethics/
Hey, Where’s My Robot Girlfriend?
An Exploration of Sexual Robotics, Teledildonics and Carnal Technology
http://observatoryroom.org/2011/01/30/robot-girlfriend/
—
p.s.
I employed a few casual fallacies in my hypothetical arguments above.
1,000 bonus points to the reader who finds them!
ha ha ha
