Episode #33: McArthur and Danaher on Robot Sex

In this episode I talk to Neil McArthur about a book that he and I recently co-edited entitled Robot Sex: Social and Ethical Implications (MIT Press, 2017). Neil is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Manitoba where he also directs the Center for Professional and Applied Ethics. This a free-ranging conversation. We talk about what got us interested in the topic of robot sex, our own arguments and ideas, some of the feedback we've received on the book, some of our favourite sexbot-related media, and where we think the future of the debate might go. You can download the episode here or listen below. You can also subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher (the RSS feed is here). Show Notes0:00 - Introduction to Neil1:42 - How did Neil go from writing about David Hume to Robot Sex?5:15 - Why did I (John Danaher) get interested in this topic?6:49 - The astonishing media interest in robot sex8:58 - Why did we put together this book?11:05 - Neil's general outlook on the robot sex debate16:41 - Could sex robots address the problems of loneliness and isolation?19:46 - Why a passive and compliant sex robot might be good thing21:08 - Could sex robots enhance existing human relationships?25:53 - Sexual infidelity and the intermediate ontological status of sex robots31:23 - Ethical behaviourism and robots34:36 - My perspective on the robot sex debate37:32 - Some legitimate concerns about robot sex44:20 - Some of our favourite arguments or ideas from the book (acknowledging that all the contributions are excellent!)54:37 - Neil's booklaunch - some of the feedback from a lay audience58:25 - Where will the debate go in the future? Neil's thoughts on the rise of the digisexual1:02:54 - Our favourite fictional sex robots  Relevant linksRobot Sex: Social and Ethical Implications (available on Amazon, BookDepository and from the Publisher)Neil's homepageMedia coverage of our bookThe Status Quo bias in applied ethicsThe Sex Robots are Coming: Seedy, sordid but mainly just sad' by Fiona SturgesOur Guardian op-ed on the potential upside of sex robotsRichard Herring's sex robot sketchesNeil's article on the rise of the digisexualNeil's one-man show on cryonics "Let Me Freeze Your Head!"   #mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; } /* Add your own MailChimp form style overrides in your site stylesheet or in this style block. We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. */ Subscribe to the newsletter