ROBOTS: SEX & MARRIAGE

MSNBC(2007) LIVE SCIENCE/ CHARLES Q. CHOI

10/12

David Levy at the University of Masstricht, Netherlands finished his PhD

on living with and marrying a robot. Not only do you have sex with a robot, which you can do now, but you will be able to marry them. Walls have fallen. It is not against the law to marry someone of the another race or same sex marriage. By 2050, you will be able to marry robots. His rationale continues, but I do not believe that 50 years means marriage to a robot.

Here are my questions:

1. If a robot marries a human what is the relationship of that robot to larger families and kin?

2. If a marriage ends in divorce in which 2 humans were joined together, how does

the children of the first marriage get in terms of inheritance as opposed to the robot of the second partner?.

3. A human marries a robot and later decides to buy a new younger and more attractive as well as more innovative robot. What happens to the first?

4. A human destroys a robot in a marriage in a fit of rage, can authorities charge the human with murder?

5. What church and or government will recognize a robot as equivalent to a human

in a marriage?. Further, does a robot used for sexual purposes constitute adultery if opposed to a married human spouse?

The idea that having a robot as a sexual partner and that partner can be placed in a closet when not in use seems more likely than any further social and legal ties that would disrupt society. Further,

a robot with independent thought processes could be a large hazard to society as they are likely or can be programmed as likely to violate and or kill others without remorse. Marrying a robot may mean that inadvertently the robot turns violent and the human spouse is killed or severely maimed.

Does that mean that the robot can be charged or has legal protection? If they can have sex, do they have civil liberties? Can they vote? Can they organize themselves  to terrify a neighborhood? Robots are thought to be excellent warriors because they are expendable and can go places human soldiers may have second thoughts doing. That is the attraction of robots. We may become attracted to them for whatever reasons, but must society bear all the rights and responsibilities and the increasing geometric jumps in inter-relationships that cross all the borders and boundaries of a society?

We have robots or robotics that make things very quickly and with a great deal of efficiency

on assembly lines, can these large robotic arms and related configurations form

a collective bargaining unit?.

Years ago, futurists or futurologists promised by the 21st century, that most families would have

a very small 2 person helicopter to get to work. The scenario was like a

Sunday afternoon drive with few other helicopters and other flying in the sky.The helicopters

would rest on telipads next to our all glass houses.

However, if this would truly come to pass, it would be a nightmare. Numerous helicopters would run into other helicopters and then fall to the ground on someone's house. That means death to

5 to 20 people. One could say only the most trained and accredited drivers can have helicopters

to drive. That means the helicopters become very expensive. The reductions in cost are due to

economy of scale. That means so many are made that we can make the cheaper.

How long would it take when the realization of driving a helicopter is even more dangerous than driving a car in a rush hour when all the cars are going bumper to bumper at high speeds?

What happens when the copters crash into houses or hit the second story of

a grade school?.

50 years ago, we had cars that could be driven on the highway and also driven in a lake. It didn't sell. 40 years ago, we were offered a telephone in which you can see the other person and they could see you. No one wanted to be seen without their best appearance. It is more common to have 2 way internet interaction today, but it is not common.

Robots for sex is one thing, but robots for marriage is yet quite another. This is particularly true

if the marriage is of an adult human and a child robot. Complications, Complications,

Complications!