There is a new killer computer application on the horizon that promises to nurture our young and care for our elderly. In this report, Sherry Turkle, ponders philosophic questions such as what constitutes "aliveness" (p.191) and when is it appropriate to substitute a robot for a human being or animal.
Turkle explains the relational psychology of how human beings engage with each other and their computers. Her qualitative fieldwork with children and seniors reveals that we project ourselves and our feelings on to robots to satisfy emotional needs. Clearly, robots cannot reciprocate when it comes to love, but this is how our brains are hardwired. This phenomenon of treating a robot like a sentient being is present and easily observable when among children at play. Indeed, it is very human to have fantasies of a mutual connection that does not exist.
There is a lot more troubling technology out there such as human and animal cloning. Still, I would have concerns and reservations about my family members being nurtured by a relational artifact. With that said, robo-love is better than no love. There is much we can learn from this technology and if used carefully, it could be applied to help alleviate human suffering.
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