Morality of robot sex - where do you stand?

Great question, I as a female thought that the condemnation came from how real the robots are that they are almost like people. I think that the family even though they don't know yet about Mia/Anita they still feel like she's a real person. I don't know how far along you are in the series so I hope I don't spoil anything for you but ther is a later episode where the family's older daughter is at a party and some of the teenage boys start to mess around with the hosts robot, she says something like 'inappropriate behavior is being initiated and will be reported to the primary owner' and in response they just turn her off and start messing with her, this really bothers the girl and she calls them sick and makes them stop, even though this is just a machine I think it gives her the sense that this is very similar to what happens to girls at parties that get drugged and raped. In another episode the blond sim (sorry I'm terrible with their names) was captured and sold to a sex den where she was used as a sex slave and when she finally broke out, as she left she told the woman who worked there that 'everything that they did to me was what they wanted to do to you' to 'real' women, which is pretty true if you listen to some of the cheaters that were exposed by the Ashley Madison website hack they said that they sought out affairs and paid prostitutes because they felt like they couldn't do those things to their wives out of shame or because they respected their wives too much to ask them for those things in their own sex lives...

Your statement about feeling differently if it was a sim that was made specifically for sex vs house maid duties I still feel like it would be wrong because of how similar they are to humans, if they were a little less real maybe I'd feel different... But then again I think you'd still have the shame/embarrassment, people keep their sex toys hidden from everyone because it is very private and people pretend they don't have them lol... I think there's a big difference between a sex toy and something that's repurposed as a sex toy, a sex toy is a personal item and is used for that purpose only, but using something that is used by others for other purposes as a sex toy crosses a line of decency and shows lack of respect for community property... Maybe my line of thought is completely crazy haha, I like to think that I'm fairly open minded but I think some sex toys and bedroom games are a little weird and slightly wrong, but then again people have different tastes...

Oh I also forgot to mention that the wife was afraid that the sim Anita would replace her, he was like, that will never happen, then boom he sleeps with her, he felt guilty because he lied to his wife, not necessarily because he slept with a machete. The wife was afraid Anita would would replace her in every way and she almost did, her kids even loved her to play with them, everyone was fine that Anita was replacing the mom with household duties because no body really wants to do chores, but when the dad slept with Anita it was an encroachment on the parents relationship so the wife was betrayed... When it comes to the kids though not only were they mad their dad would betray their mom like that but like most typical teenagers they're interested in sex but not about their parents doing it, I'm sure that parents having sex is a 'eeewww' subject internationally for teenagers lol.

I m not too sure wat is the big deal , since it came with the adult options then it means those are just other functions u can use. Its not like he was abusing the synth in any way.

Lets look at Pete, he wasnt disgusted at his wife using the synth for sex. He is just angry and jealous that he was being replaced by a robot.

Those synths(excluding the conscious ones) are just very sophicated robots, in a way they can be considered as highly advanced sex dolls.

The condemnation should have come as soon as they knew he'd bought a model that came with sex protocols. What did they think he was gonna do with a hot sex-bot?

Either all synths come with sex protocols (in which case that would suggest a sexually liberal society that doesn't have a major ethical issue with family members screwing synths so their reaction was contradictory) or there are synths with sex protocols and synths without so when he bought one with them, the family should have said... why did dad buy the shaggable version?

And if all synths do come with sex protocols, what about the child synths?

Excellent topic of discussion. I am male and though initially all on the "pro " side of human/bot sex I have found some "con" arguments as well.

Here are a few listed randomly that i have or have come across
(these are all as you mentioned under the assumption that the robot is not sentient-or prehaps hard coded to enjoy the sex)

Pro-sex robots would provide a release for sexual impulses men often have and women as well that cannot be satiated otherwise. A couple could marry more for love and bonding and then have bots to handle their sexual impulses (that really are pretty much branded into our brains)

Pro and Con-over time the sex bots could be taken for granted . Users may get bored with them and want a more complex sexual relationship. It could help in a way people get over the curiosity phase of wanting to have physically perfect partners and then start to enjoy
sex with a more natural partner. On the other hand it could lead to neglecting and abusing the sex bot. Though its not sentient, the user would build this behavior and could transfer it to actual sentient beings especially those that looked like the sexbots.

Con-like the last item, the sexbot raises the possiblity of having sex on demand, without providing any qualities or tasks to "earn" the sex act. Beyond this just leading to boredom it could also stunt mental and social growth especially among young people.
But a solution to this I believe would be for the sexbots to provide sex acts only after the user manages to reach certain (realistic criteria): sobriety, well groomed, polite, not verbal or physically abusive and perhaps even requiring the user to excercise and achieve other physical and mental tasks.

Pro-to add on the last section, a sex robot could help develop positive, healthy behavior while also providing the enjoyable game/persuit aspect to sex. I think many others may agree that in real life it doesnt exactly work that way. Depending on ones social status and appearance ,sexual pursuits can be either be a cakewalk or a herculean task that will drive you to insanity. A bot on the other hand that would respond to the users positive behavior could help the user to be happier and more mature too.

Con-though the robots are not sentient they do very closely represent sentient beings. So any acts performed on them could offend and cause possible trauma for humans. I think its much like in the movies Rivers Edge where a boy damages this little girls doll. Though the doll is not real, the girl has attached a personality to it and seeing the doll damaged was a serious bummer for her. Likewise if a husband and wife had a bot that one of them got a little to kinky and over the top with and it could be really uncool for the other person if they attached some value and personality the bot.
Likewise humans that resemble the beauty aspect of bots may find it very unpleasant to see people having sex with beings that resemble them. Or could even be treated like the bots because they looked like them.

Con-it could make sex addiction worse and additionally a person may grow tired of just using bots for their sex acts and become agressive assaulters of real humans. Some humans may be mistaken as bots

Pro-in parts of societies where sexual behavior is repressed their is often hi levels of violence (eg ISIS and parts of the US), violent people may become less violent once they are able to release their sexual needs.

Pro-sex bots could unravel much of the uptightness in society that is really about how much of the planet is deprived of an enjoyable sex life (mostly the rich and very good looking get to really dive into sexual delights). People would stop doing silly things like posturing to be the super tough guy, the super hot girl, the super rich guy...all which are really to get good sex). Assuming the sex bots could become widely available all this silly nonsense would end. Could it lead to complacency? i dont think so instead it would allow people to concentrate their efforts on more important long term goals like spirituality, family, empathy etc.

Pro-it would provide a real option for people who either due to age, illness or injury are not desired by humans. Believe me as one who knows. Ugly people do not desire other ugly people. Not sexually anyways and not initally. SEx would no longer be something that only the young and beautiful would enjoy.

Pro-It could cut down on addictions to drugs and violence. sex is better than both of those. sex is a great cure for going through withdrawal and rehabilitating as well.

Con-could stunt emotional and social growth of young people if they can have a sex bot as soon as they are 18 or so. Probably best to try human relationships first and then around 30 or try the sexbots . Exceptions would be young people who for various reasons are isolated or rejected by their peers.

Con-cost. Most likely for the foreseeable future it would only be the very rich that could have sex bots. (unless their were holograph versions which could be more readily available to the masses).

Con-regulation. I for one believe strongly in regulation for all industries (can't stand the tea party). But who and how the regulation is done is a problem. Some may be too puritanical (my older sister said sex robots should be illegal) while others may not regulate at all. Regulation is needed but very complicated.

Pro-AND I THINK THIS IS THE BEST ONE-it would be a disruptive technology that could effectively end the exploitation and abuse of human sex workers. Sure it would put them out of a job but one that is self destructive usually. {If we ever got to the point we had sex robots than most likely bots would have taken over many job sectors so a more socialistic economy would be needed as there would not be jobs.} . Hopefully at least it could end the concepts of the sex slave trade and forced marriages. Horny men would more easily have a bot for their pleasure.

Con-sex obsessed and horny people (mostly men i guess) just need to grow up not be a slave to their carnal desires. I say this half jokingly . I have heard it from quasi puritans (like my older sister) as well as some movie stars (cough, cough uh CS on Reign for example. JGL with the movie Don Jon another) strangely enough. I think its just hate and a lack of understanding in many cases. Hypocrisy in others especially the movie stars . Though i agree there is some truth to some of us acting like Sodom and gomorrah types. On the non joking side it could block further spiritual growth especially of the buddha ish variety. From what I have learned from Buddhism sex is not a sin but is not a very effective way to achieve enlightenment. So maybe as much some of us may really like the idea of sex robots it could take us further away from our spiritual goals ...maybe...


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I don't see a thing wrong with it. Suppose Anita was simply a regular synth, as the dad had no reason to think otherwise. The dad having sex with "her" is no big deal at all, yet he was treated like an adulterer, and this was before the revelation about Anita being sentient, if I recall. He presumably wasn't getting much from his wife, so why shouldn't he use a machine to satisfy his needs?

The lads at that party who were going to bang that synth did nothing wrong in my opinion, yet Maddy behaved as though they roofied an actual girl and intended to rape her. Those boys weren't rapists. I do question their desire to ejaculate in the same machine in succession, but morally speaking, they did nothing wrong. That Maddy came off as such a sanctimonious little bitch.

I don't like how this show seems to portray male sexual desire as evil or destructive.

I found it all strange, but thought provoking. I'm male and I guess my view depends on the specifics.

Considering how John only knew Anita as a robot, it was strange that they made such a big deal out of it; especially since Anita was built to provide sexual pleasure. The only problem I might have is that IT is still a device intended to service the entire family, and if a robot were sleeping with my father, I don't think I'd want it making my breakfast.

This reminded me of a sentiment I've often heard women relay, about it being okay for women to use sex toys, but gross or weird for men to use them. I always found it odd - not to mention hypocritical - that a woman would feel that way. It's also worth mentioning that I know of many women who own some sort of sex toy, but I've never even heard of a man I know owning one. My point is that maybe our society has a stigma against men using sex toys?

Now, with Mia it's different. She's still technically a robot, I guess, but I basically see the human body as a robot. The difference is that she has a conscious and feels emotions, so I think she should be treated with the same dignity we afford everything with those abilities, even if we hunt them for food, like we do many animals. As previously noted, the problem is that John didn't know about Mia, so you could argue that he basically just had sex with a sex toy; albeit a sex toy that looks human, which I suspect would bother many, even if there was no Mia.

I reversed the roles and wondered if I'd have any trouble with my wife having sex with a robot. I would if it were a robot like Mia, because that would be competition, among other things. But a robot like Anita wouldn't bother me at all and I'd probably even be happy for her. In contrast, the detective and his wife either have a problem that has nothing to do with their android, or his wife is missing a screw, because she's basically chosen a machine over her husband (note that I've yet to watch the final 2 episodes, but I don't believe their robot has a conscious).

It's an interesting topic but I feel the show didn't handle it at all well. Think about it realistically, this is meant to be a world where robots are in the millions and have become almost as standard as cars or microwave ovens. Surely the firms manufacturing these synths would have the common sense to make the aesthetically beautiful synths purely for the "sex industry", the adult option if you were.

It's ridiculous that what is essentially a cleaner/cook/dogsbody would look like Anita. Now if the home help synths all looked like Vera then fair enough there's less chance of any awkward sexual tension between the synth and the males in the house, and if someone does want an adult model for sexual gratification then it would be understandable that they would look like Niska or Anita.

Peter's wife was a good example. She had a NHS Medical Synth to help with her rehabilitation, yet he looked like some super stud male model. Ridiculous.

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