Our relationship with machine
December 6, 2007 by liping
This increasingly blurred line between virtual and real life already seems overwhelming. Falling in love and marry a robot? That really sounds too absurd. But according to this article on Wired and the book she mentioned, it might be a reality by 2050.
Here are some of the reasons why robot might be an excellent lover and companion:
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- A robot can be a good dancer.
- You can have real conversation (even intellectual one) with a robot.
- A robot is a sensitive and responsive lover.
- you can switch off a robot at any time and program it to your heart’s content
- the safest sex on earth
But by my understanding, what’s vital in a relationship is the inter-dependency upon each other. We need a robot; but a robot doesn’t need us. The need to feel being needed is strongly connected to our self worth, self confidence and content with our life. But in this uneven relationship with a machine, the need for the other is unbalanced. So in this sense, a robot might be a great sex machine and companion, but never a husband.
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have relationship with a robot, wouldn’t that mean u’re dealing with a more or less predictable program rather than a living breathing human being who may surprise you every minute?
Sure I can imagine people like kidults may find this amusing. And people who are control freaks may find it an excellent target to ’slave’.
But for me, I’d never learn about the greater aspect of love, which is about focusing less on yourself and your desire, in order to understand the other person better, and to make sacrifices for the good of others. Pretty soon, they’ll have robot kids for people who want to feel good about being parents without paying the efforts. A very pathetic future indeed.