Drudge has a link up today to a Daily Mirror article: Sex with robots to be ‘the norm’ in 50 years, expert claims. What is interesting is the moral argument the expert (Dr Helen Driscoll) lays out:
We tend to think about issues such as virtual reality and robotic sex within the context of current norms.
But if we think back to the social norms about sex that existed just 100 years ago, it is obvious that they have changed rapidly and radically.
Robophilia may be alien now, but could be normal in the near future as attitudes evolve with technology.
She then ties this into our new definition of sexual morality, the existence of romantic love:
People may also begin to fall in love with their virtual reality partners.
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This may seem shocking and unusual now, but we should not automatically assume that virtual relationships have less value than real relationships. The fact is, people already fall in love with fictional characters though there is no chance to meet and interact with them.
Since everyone, including modern Christians, has embraced the view that romantic love is what defines sexual morality this will be an interesting discussion. My guess is the rebuttal will be that since robots can’t love back it isn’t really true love, and therefore isn’t Christian. However, if we could program robotic women to give Christian men the wakeup call and thereby force them to submit to their robo wives, I strongly suspect the lack of reciprocation would no longer be a concern.
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