I thought that might get your attention! Another topic discussed by Kurzweil is the nature of relationships and sex in the future. Not the discussion with the most scientific value -- but certainly one that would appeal to a wide audience.
Ultimately, we will have ways to immerse ourselves in virtual reality that seem very real indeed. We aren't even close today -- but it will happen. At first, in order to perceive touch, we will have to be inside of some tactile chamber with a medium capable of stimulating these sensations. Eventually, we'll be able to directly interface with the brain.
OK, the science aside, what does this mean for our relationships (sexual and otherwise)? You could use such a system to:
- Have virtual sex with a complete stranger.
- Have virtual sex with a virtual partner.
- Have virtual sex with another person -- but make them appear to be whomever you wanted.
- Have virtual sex with your regular partner as a form of safe sex.
As I said before -- when our technology evolves, we will not try to eliminate our most basic needs and desires. Rather, we will find more creative and safe ways to feed them!
Here's another question -- would you let your partner have virtual sex with someone else? What if it was just a virtual partner?
jbravo
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They also predicted that Schwartzenegger would be Governor of California- I think its the nostradamus of its time hehehe
I really liked that movie.
why would you even want to have "virtual" (as opposed to actual) sex?
:)
...ain't nothing like the real thing, baby, ain't nothing like the real thing...
First of all, everyone has different values and different desires, etc. so we'll never all agree on this -- but that's part of the fun here.
You can refer back to my original list above, #4 as a starting point. The "safety" factor definitely makes it attractive. And not just physical safety, but also emotional safety. While the thought of doing this is foreign to a lot of people today, like a lot of things, it will seem less strange to those in the future who experience it.
Why not just do it in real life. OK -- fair question. I suppose I could ask the same thing about why people post here and have virtual conversations. Why not just have real conversations with real people face-to-face? Perhaps some of the answers to that question also apply to the other.
Finally, I'm willing to bet that most people -- even with strict values -- have had fantasies and have thought about them while, er, fullfilling their own needs so to speak. Does that qualify as real or virtual?
The point is, in both situations in the analogy, you have the opportunity to make yourself vulnerable. In a virtual experience, there is an extra level of safety that allows you to open up and experience more without really making yourself truly vulnerable.
I'm guessing that you're thinking that this cheapens the experience. Perhaps it does. Or just maybe, it serves a useful purpose -- that is, it can prepare us for truly meaningful relationships -- allowing us to grow into it with more gradual steps.
As the virtual experience becomes ever more like the real thing, I think this distinction may become increasingly fuzzy.
Hey you know AdGuy always gets the last word! ;)