Why Robots Are Man's Best Friend

DER 01, Japanese actroid (photo:Gnsin)

Robots present an interesting proposition. A robot can be programmed to be absolutely responsive to your every need. In a recent CBSN: On Assignment, the segment explored "Japan’s Future of Humanoid Robots" (7/28/17). In a society where caregivers are in short supply, the dearth is being met by creating increasingly life-like replacements. The character of Spock on Star Trek was always faulted for his impassive traits, but the examples being produced in Japan show a reserve of warmly recognizable affects. These robots talk, but they don’t necessarily talk back and like cuddly pets they become ideal vehicles on which to project human feelings. Soon there'll undoubtedly be robots who perform the role of old-fashioned sexual surrogates, moaning with pleasure and spurting out lubricants that have been injected into their engines. However, what makes a robot even more preferable to a pet is that robots are characterized by an absence of volition. Robots certainly don’t have to be walked like a dog and you don’t need to train a robot in other ways either. Unless specifically programmed to do so, no robot is going to become aggressive and start barking at bikers, children or neighbors. No robot will start to act up when it's left to its own devices. Unlike some animals that have to be put to sleep because of their behavioral inclinations, robots don’t pose a threat to the public welfare. And while animals always beg the question of consciousness due to their intuitive capabilities, robots offer something more subtle and in a way comforting in its place: a one-sided companionship where you don’t have to give to receive.