Abstract
In this paper, I discuss the serious ethical issues that arise from the advent of childlike sexbots (CSB). The main question I will be addressing is: Is it morally and legally acceptable to create CSBs for therapeutic purposes to treat paedophilia?
Proponents of love and sex with robots would argue that a CSB could have a twofold interest: protecting children from sexual predators and by the same token, treating the latter. On the other hand, opponents to sexbots would contend that a CSB is not an effective therapeutic tool in treating paedophilia. It could even contribute to legitimizing or normalizing, in the eyes of the offender, the fundamental social, moral and legal transgression of having sex with under age children.
However, as a pragmatic observer of society, I believe that CSBs are inevitable due to the recent development of sexbot technology, but also because of existing demand. Thus, I think that a general ethical framework is necessary and should be drawn up, in order to help healthcare providers, lawmakers and judicial systems deal effectively with this technology.
Based on the loosely interpreted tenets of the harm principle, I argue that CSBs could be authorized under strict medical supervision and in accordance with guidelines issued by an ethics committee.
Moreover, I devote an entire section of this paper to exploring the social and moral attitudes towards paedophilia in very recent history. I shed particular light on the strange case of the defence of paedophilia, by several prominent French intellectuals in the 1970’s. How did this type of moral relativism supersede for a time a moral absolute?
“– And then you break out of the asylum or receive pardon (…) and you’re back to chasing little children! No, no more of that! You must be taken out of action! (…).
– But I can’t help it! I can’t… I really can’t… help it!”
Fritz Lang, M – A city looks for a murderer.
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Notes
- 1.
The Dutroux case broke out in Belgium in the summer of 1996. Marc Dutroux, a repeat offender, was accused of raping and murdering at least four young girls: Julie Lejeune (8 and a half years old), Mélissa Russo (19), An Marchal (17) and Eefje Lambrecks (19). A “white march” was organized and gathered more than 300,000 people in the streets of Brussels, in protest against the incompetence and profound dysfunctions of various Belgian state authorities (police, mounted police, the judicial power and, politicians).
- 2.
I use interchangebly the words “moral” and “ethics”, which are close etymologically and conceptually. “Ethics” originates from “ethos” in ancient Greek and “moral” comes from the word “mores” in Latin. They both refer to “morality”.
- 3.
- 4.
http://realbotix.systems. The “Harmony” project consists of plugging a sex doll to a mobile application, which works like “Siri”. The doll is thus upgraded with A.I., and would be able to answer certain questions, interact in a very elementary way with its human interlocutor, move its head and blink its eyes.
- 5.
According to Dr. De Pauw, the percentage of paedophiles suffering from various mental health issues, could amount to 50%.
- 6.
I wish to thank Dr. Vantrounhout, who kindly explained to me this phenomenon in great detail.
- 7.
Because of lack of space, I intentionally decided not to discuss the specific case of incest in this article. This issue would require a separate study. Nevertheless, according to Dr. Vantournhout, not all incestuous parents are necessarily paedophiles and vice-versa.
- 8.
Matzneff currently writes opinion pieces on political and social subjects in the prestigious weekly French magazine “Le Point”.
References
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), 5th edn., p. 697. American Psychiatric Publishing, Washington DC, London (2013)
Harvard Mental Health Letter: Pessimism about pedophilia, July 2010. www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/pessimism-about-pedophilia). And Seto, M. C.: Is pedophilia a sexual orientation? Arch. Sex. Behav. 41, 231 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-011-9882-6. And http://www.independant.co.uk/news/paedophilia-sexual-orientation-straight-gay-criminal-psychologist-child-sex-abuse-a6965956.html. Nevertheless, I must point out that all of these opinions remain highly controversial
http://www.thedailybeast.com/what-science-reveals-about-pedophilia
Harvard Mental Health Letter: op. cit
Malti-Douglas, F. (ed.): Encyclopaedia of Sex and Gender, pp. 1112–1115. Thomson – Gale, London (2007). I am also summarizing here and in the following pages, the conversations I had with Dr.Marc-Samuel Goltzberg (expert for the courts of Brussels) and Dr. Yves Depauw (Charleroi Psychiatric Hospital “Vincent Van Gogh”). Both are psychiatrists, specialized in the treatment of sexual offenders and gave me some precious information
Goodnough, A., Davey, M.: For Sex offenders, a dispute over therapy’s benefits. In: The New York Times, 6 March 2007
Schmidt, G., Schorsch, E.: Psychosurgery of sexually deviant patients: review and analysis of new empirical findings. Arch. Sex. Behav. 10(3), 301–323 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF1543081
Balmer, A.S., Sandland, R.: Making monsters: the polygraph, the plethysmograph, and other practices for the performance of abnormal sexuality. J. Law Soc. 39, 593–615 (2012)
http://www.sudinfo.be/860873/article/actualite/societe/2013-11-17/des-poupees-mises-en-vente-pour-les-pedophiles-une-petition-est-en-ligne, http://www.huffpost.com/uk/entry/4286730
http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/cgi_loi/change_lg.pl?table_name = loi&cn = 1867060801&language = fr
http://time.com/2892728/japan-finally-bans-child-pornography/, http://ww.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/06/04/national/crime-legal/japan-finally-moving-to-ban-child-porn-possession/#.VoyOcV94Wc1
Levy, D.: Love and Sex With Robots: The Evolution of Human Robot Relationships, pp. 300–301, 308–309. Duckworth Overlook, London (2009)
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/dec/13/sex-love-and-robots-the-end-of-intimacy
Devillers, L.: Des Robots et des Hommes – Mythes, fantasmes et réalités, pp. 132–133. Plon, Paris (2017). My translation
Devillers, L.: Des Robots et des Hommes – Mythes, fantasmes et réalités, p. 137. Plon, Paris (2017). My translation
Devillers, L.: Des Robots et des Hommes – Mythes, fantasmes et réalités, p. 138. Plon, Paris (2017). My translation
Stuart Mill, J.: On Liberty, pp. 17–18. Penguin Books, London (2010)
Ogien, R.: L’éthique aujourd’hui – Maximalistes et minimalistes, pp. 11–17. Gallimard, Paris (2015)
Kant, I.: Métaphysique des mœurs II – Doctrine du droit – Doctrine de la vertu (Metaphysics of Morals) translated into French by Alain Renaut. In: Doctrine de la vertu, I.I.§7, Article second: De la souillure de soi-même par la volupté, p. 277. GF-Flammarion, Paris (1994). My translation
Stuart Mill, J.: op. cit., pp. 17–18
Duvert, T.: L’enfant au masculin, p. 21. Les Éditions de Minuit, Paris (2015). My translation
Ambroise-Rendu, A.-C.: Histoire de la pédophilie – XIXe – XX e siècle, pp. 171–175. Fayard, Paris (2014). My translation
Ambroise-Rendu, A.-C.: Histoire de la pédophilie – XIXe – XX e siècle, p. 171. Fayard, Paris (2014). My translation
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pétitions_en_France_concernant_la_majorité_sexuelle
Ambroise-Rendu, A.-C.: op. cit., p. 173
Ambroise-Rendu, A.-C.: op. cit., p. 174
Joubert, S.: Guy Hocquenghem, profession: perturbateur. http://www.humanite.fr/guy-hocquenghem-profession-perturbateur-633319?amp. My translation
Hocquenghem, G.: Tony Duvert: Non à l’enfant poupée, Libération 10-11.04.1979. http://www.bafweb.com/Lib9790410.html. My translation
Ambroise-Rendu, A-C.: op. cit., pp. 163–164
Ambroise-Rendu, A-C.: op. cit., p. 112
Ambroise-Rendu, A-C.: op. cit., p. 127
Ambroise-Rendu, A-C.: op. cit., p. 179
http://www.matzneff.com/a_propos.php?un_article=111. My translation. This article is of course proudly on Matzneff’s personal website
“Liberal” in the “open-mindedness” sense of the word. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyRp7xwiCYI
Acknowledgments
I wish to thank:
My (super) supervisor, Jean-Noël Missa, M.D, PhD, for his wholehearted support, patience and precious advice on writing this paper.
I would also like to thank warmly the following persons who, despite their busy schedules, very kindly and with no preconceptions, took the time to meet with me and answer all of my questions on this very quirky and touchy subject:
The Judge Mr. Luc Hennart, President of the Court of First Instance in Brussels (I thank him for his wit and for one of the most fascinating conversations I have ever had).
Dr. Brigitte Vantournhout, child psychiatrist at the care unit “S.O.S Enfants” of the “Saint-Pierre” University Hospital in Brussels.
Dr. Yves De Pauw, psychiatrist, specialized in the treatment of paedophiles at the “CHU – Van Gogh” psychiatric hospital in Charleroi, Belgium.
Dr. Marc-Samuel Goltzberg, psychiatrist and court expert in Brussels, Belgium, who treated numerous paedophiles.
And finally:
The biggest thank you full of love goes to my Yiddishe Mame, who supported me in this endeavor and agreed to read and comment this paper.
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Behrendt, M. (2018). Reflections on Moral Challenges Posed by a Therapeutic Childlike Sexbot. In: Cheok, A., Levy, D. (eds) Love and Sex with Robots. LSR 2017. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 10715. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76369-9_8
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