Like the writer of this piece, I can get falling for a replicant, but what ever possesses people to fantasise about falling in love with robots? What’s with that?
I went as Pris from Blade Runner for Halloween. For those not familiar with the film, she’s a “pleasure model” replicant–created specifically for human “entertainment.” Little did I know that my Halloween costume represented a predicted reality of the near future. David Levy, a British AI researcher, has predicted that people will be falling in love with, having sex with, and even marrying robots within the next few decades. Can you imagine robot-human marriages being universally legal before same-sex marriage? And what about same-sex-robot-human marriages? But I digress.
Spooky Kim…I was repeating some of the very same dialogue to my wife a couple of hours ago. The exact scene. Freaky. I can’t remember now what got me thinkin’ about it.
A very Phildickian piece of synchronicity there, Nasking!
As is so often the case with such things, once you really look into it, a stiff upper lip and crisply surrealistic English SF writer with a warped sensual feel for the elegiac twist got there first. In this case, not JG Ballard but John Wyndham with “Compassion Circuit”.
Indeed Kim, i’ll have to get around to reading I Ching (The Book of Changes) at some stage…:)
A goat butts against a hedge.
It cannot go backward, it cannot go forward.
Nothing serves to further.
If one notes the difficulty, this brings good fortune.
That Ta Chuang riff is just so you so far online nasking.
Phwoaaaar!
in my opinion, people who “fall in love” do so in the belief that they’ve found that “other” that fills the void within themselves - the void (the seemingly unfathomable fear) is there because peeps don’t love (AKA accept) themselves and are (wrongly) looking outside of themselves for love - i expect that robots would be the ideal solution for these falling in love types in the future, but you would hope that the human race would get it together sooner or later, wouldn’t you ? still, who could knock back one of those Westworld robots programmed for sexual pleasure ? draw … (;
Is there any chance the Libs update Howard’s circuitry before election day?
I read a teen version of this scenario called “The silver metal lover”. Ends badly for the robot who acquires a soul only to be dismantled. Yes I think it could be argued that initially you can project so much of the ideal onto the other that they are little more than a blank. Maybe narcissists are more likely to fall for a robot ? For that matter how much of robotics is humanity gazing longingly into a mirror?
Well, there’s a community who profess love for RealDolls (Wikipedia link, safety for work depends on how uptight your workplace is).
The idea of marrying a robot, given the present state of development of artificial intelligence, should be treated about as seriously as somebody who wants to marry their car.
Well spotted, Robert.
‘Our machines are disturbingly lively and we ourselves frighteningly inert.’ (Donna Haraway)
We keep telling men that vacuuming is sexy, so if a robot gets there first well you only have yourselves to blame.
Like I said, technically it’s not wanking.
Kim,
An interesting possibility is a robot-robot marriage. That would mean you could have a drive in wedding.
“Instead of solid accomplishments, the man pursues pleasures and self-gratification. He will never achieve anything so long as he is surrounded by dissipating temptations.”
for you Nabs, from the core of my nanny state heart …:)
Robert Merkel wrote:
There may be something wrong with me. I name cars, but only some of them. My wife pointed out that the only pattern is the car was in dire straits or in boxes when I bought it. Hence Trusty the Alfetta (busted), Rusty the Spider (says it all), Gaston the Truck (bought it not running, still got it), Bruno (just finished it, was broken). Yep, pattern fits. Mind you, I don’t feel I need to “marry” them, they usually get sold the first instance something more interesting turns up (almost completely opposite to my meat marriage).
It’s sick and wrong. I think I’ll be OK with the robots until I come across a broken one second hand, then the temptation to fix it will overcome me. It can only lead to ruin.
Lots of people, especially men, are reputedly happiest in their car. So why not marry them? Seems perfectly rational in that context.
And as to why people might want to marry robots. Easy. Robots have no embarassing, disgusting, tiring, boring, intrusive desires. They’re desire-free zones.
What could be more desirable?
jinmaro,
Marvin?
Hi,
Came across your site as I wanted to know who the heck the “Memucan Institute” was.
After reading a letter to the editor in the Age I felt they were a weird mob..and thanks for your sites tidbit of info I believe my first instincts were correct.
Goodness gracious me. What a sad and weak lot they must be to be so threatened by the idea of equal rights…mmmm.
Thanks again. Hope to visit you again soon.