Notes on the Symbolic-Consequences Argument in the Sex Robot Debate

Introduction

• The television series Humans explores social robots in a near-future setting.
• Humanoid robots serve various roles: workers, caregivers, and sexual companions.
• The robots often lack sentience and consciousness, with issues arising primarily around those that achieve human-level intelligence.
• Plot example: A human partygoer plans to assault a powered-down robot, prompting a human female character to intervene by equating the act to assaulting a real woman.

Symbolic-Consequences Argument

• Central theme: The symbolic meaning of sexual acts with robots and their societal consequences.
• Author's position on symbolic-consequences argument:
  1. Symbolic Problematic: Proponents argue sex robots represent ethically questionable sexual norms.
  2. Consequential Impact: Harmful outcomes may arise from these norms.
  3. Value of Consent in Sexual Relationships: How sex robots influence perceptions of consent and sexual ethics.

The Importance of Consent Norms

• Sexual experience is valuable, contributing to intimacy and maturity.
• Consent is viewed as the moral foundation to distinguish permissible from impermissible sexual activity.
• Challenges of Consent (based on studies): Issues in determining a person's true consent attitude from external signals.
  • Cultural myths about consent (e.g., clothing signaling consent) may still prevail.
• Recent revelations about high rates of sexual assault and the push for affirmative consent standards in some jurisdictions.

The Symbolic-Consequences Argument Breakdown

• Common Structure:
  1. Sex robots symbolize problematic sexual norms.
  2. If they do symbolize these norms, their usage will have negative consequences.
  3. Therefore, their development or use warrants caution.

Examples of Argument:

• Sinziana Gutiu's Argument:
  • Ethical problem: Robots will often depict problematic female stereotypes (e.g., unrealistic body types).
  • Social harms: Reinforce patriarchal norms regarding women's consent.
• Kathleen Richardson's Concern:
  • Sex robots reflect the dynamics of human/client interactions from the sex work industry, promoting unequal power dynamics and reinforcing negative attitudes toward women.
• John Danaher’s View:
  • Suggests legal prohibitions against robots designed for harmful fantasies such as rape or child-like portrayals.

Are Sex Robots Symbolically Problematic?

• Symbols carry societal value; hence, sex robots that symbolize women as mere sexual tools carry disvalue because they represent exploitative norms.
• Importance of social symbols in structuring our interpersonal relationships.
• The argument asserts sex robots may symbolize harmful, perpetuating views about consent and sexual norms.

Contingency of Problematic Symbolism

• Removability: Design and portrayal of sex robots can be improved to diminish harmful symbolic representations.
• Cultural Change: The significance attached to relationships and consent may evolve, changing the societal perception of sex robots over time.

Are Sex Robots Consequentially Harmful?

• Challenges: Evolving understanding of consequences requires empirical studies, which are currently lacking.
• Both positive and negative consequences exist:
  • Negative: Potential for problematic user behaviors (e.g., expectations of perpetual availability, withdrawal from human relationships).
  • Positive: Controlled use could lead to cathartic experiences for users with problematic desires.

Empirical Evidence and Analogies

• The comparison to pornography emphasizes the difficulty in gauging sex robots' societal impacts; effects from pornography provide mixed results regarding societal attitudes and personal behaviors.

An Experimental Approach to Sex Robots

• Author proposes treating the development of sex robots as a social experiment akin to drug trials, acknowledging significant potential impacts and uncertainties.
• Policymakers should emphasize preemptive studies and frameworks to guide ethical development while managing risks effectively.

Conclusion

• The objection to using switched-off robots in Humans highlights the unvarying symbolic nature of sexual power dynamics and its implications on real-world relationships.
• The discussion suggests a thorough analysis of the symbolism and consequences associated with sex robots is critical for responsible development.