RE: "Friendship" (poem) >>> A Toast To Those Who Make Life Worth Living
@quillfire: I agree it's good to have friends. But the question is -- are friends or robots/AI more reliable? Yes you can ask me if being reliable is the most important thing in life. It may not be, but AI and robotics can replicate friendship easily and it will. If you can have a breast pump and formula milk and childcare and Novel Effect, why isn't robotics for sex and friendship and companionship wrong? I think there's a big possibility that this will be a norm in the future. Our idea of companionship has been modelled by an unsustainable demand for romance and sex. We are screwing around like rats in a sewage line. I don't think historically human beings has ever had so much of sex. It's not sustainable to have a lifestyle around sex. Robotics will help fragment our false sense of relationship and companionship.
Don't know if you ever saw Lost in Space, but when I was a kid I so wanted that robot!!!! Sure AI may be a very good friend. Heck I rely on Lola (my Google Maps GPS) to tell me where to go, and Google Assistant to answer questions, set alarms, and make lists!
@sidsun,
An intriguing take.
Let me pose a question to you: If a robot is programmed to be loyal to you, is it being loyal?
Does loyalty, or the thing that makes loyalty so valued amongst human beings, not require the ability to betray? If not, why then is it so valued? Doesn't friendship, in order for it to be meaningful, have to be voluntary? Wouldn't a robot just be going through the motions? And wouldn't you know it?
I share your disdain for the promiscuity of modern society. It's not because of some religious imperative as I'm agnostic. It's because I believe that sex is as emotional as it is physical, and good sex, more so. And, if it's not, I'm not interested. For me, this precludes hooking up with strangers. I advocate romance amongst friends because 99.99% of life requires a teammate more than a twinky.
Your thoughts are rational and I'm not sure that you're wrong. But I can't help but wonder if you're not giving into nihilism. There's lots of honorable people out there, of both genders. The problem is that they're harder to find as, the idea for them, of posting a want-ad on a hook-up sight is, on its face, off-putting.
Be careful about trading efficiency for effect. Nothing is free. What price do you pay for choosing the former over the latter?
Thanks for dropping by. I look forward to chatting again in the future. Open invite.