Sex Robots: The Impending Ethical Dilemma

Let's not pretend you've never heard of sex robots. We all know they're coming, and soon lonely men and women all over the world will be too. Some of us are eagerly waiting, wallet in hand, pool of saliva collecting at our feet. Others, particularly those in relationships, are concerned about how the emotional jealousy will play into this reality altering invention - a invention which holds the potential to spark widespread moral and ethical concerns.

As a species, we are driven by sex. Sex sells as they say. It drives us mad and makes us nervous at times. Some even consider it a chief enjoyment within the act of living. As a young boy growing up, I believed sex to be some sort of confusing enigma: a game that is played before both participants engage in the sacred and or sinful act; a practice in persuasion of sorts, which was relatively new to the scene. But for the majority of our species existence, sex was defined by much more primal meanings as opposed to what we have modernly ascribed to it. For most of history, the word consensual would have been considered otherworldly.

Still, there remains a host of unanswered questions regarding the ethical nature of sex robots. How will they change our overall operation as a species? Will these algorithm-powered sluts divert out innate purpose for procreation? Only time will tell.

Sex robots will be able to provide a service for those with mental and physical disabilities that have previously been extremely limited in their opportunities to explore acts of sexual nature. The evil phenomenon known as rape will likely decrease in a drastic manner with a alternative outlet for those with dark intentions. Rather than succumbing to their vile desires through the use of coercive violence towards a helpless other, they will have a emotionless ensemble of components to sodomize.

Also, many great minds, such as Aldous Huxley, have raised valid concerns over the long-term risks of overpopulation. Huxley argues that overpopulation is naturally accompanied by over-organization to account for the high potentiality of mass chaos. This, in turn, would lead to a considerable restriction of individual freedom, which, historically speaking, has never led to a happy ending. The powers of the sex robot may be able to combat the perpetually rising concern of overpopulating our finite space here on Earth.

Could sex robots be our path towards salvation? A willing device to dispel our collective sexual frustrations which withholds the possibility of creating another mouth to feed. No itchy diseases to endlessly stress about? Is this the future?

Perhaps, sex is meant to be a relatively difficult act to achieve. You have to put the time in to win over the other participant. This metaphoric tango toward the road to sex varies in length. Therefore, being able to simply switch on a power button in order to commence the once mystic experience of having sex may override the deeply ingrained reward systems which have been accompanied for millenia.

A major component of achieving a fulfilling sense of happiness within the human experience is putting in the work and being able to confidently say, “I deserve this.” There's a vastly different feeling to have grinded your way into achieving $100,000 versus getting handed a check of an identical sum for no apparent reason. One values their reward differently depending upon the road they endured to get it. Sex robots are akin to the $100,000 check that your father tossed your way with a air of pity, an act committed for his mere peace of mind that you’ll carry on surviving.

Speculation aside, we won't understand the true effect of this technological leap until we are able to interact with a sex robot for an extended period of time. The sex robot could be a godsend for some and at the very same time become detrimental to others. This is the groove of technological progress, and as a consumer, you learn to reconcile both the positives and negatives within the ever-flowing stream of products. When you one day gaze into the artificial eyes of your newly purchased sex robot, it will remain hard to dispel the Biblical quote: “What hath God wrought?”