The same goes for same -- sex marriages of men. In regards to these, Ralph Wedgwood has pointed that "while the argument in favor is compelling, its opponents have a point." (2012) by that, he meant that, whereas those who favour such marriages often point to legal rights, the ones on the other side seem to have a stronger argument to favour their position: that marriage is inextricably traditional and "imbued with social meaning." However, it is our opinion, that marriage faces two extreme fates: it is either going to be defended as fundamentally traditional to such an extend that we will have no other choise but to return to its initial context or, secondly, it will lose its traditional value and social meaning. It is possible that same -- sex marriages will eventually be accepted by society and allowed everywhere, while it may also lose its religious affiliation, meaning getting married in front of God may lose its value. As we can observe, changes may work for the benefit of family life in regards to women sharing the same equality in marriage with men. However, we might also have to face the possibility that, if same -- sex marriages are to be eventually accepted, such couples would therefore have to resort to other ways of having children. In this respect, we think the natural process of having babies would suffer.
Q: Are we moving toward a future in which marriage will be less important for most people?
A: With about 40 to 50% married couples in the United States divorcing (Encyclopedia of Psychology), it would look as though people find themselves either unhappy in marriage or having made the wrong decision. It is obvious that such challenges may determine individuals to disconsider marriage if having been subjected to an unhappy one. However, studies show that most people either get married again or start living with another person without getting married after a divorce. We believe the concept of marriage in its traditional sense will still merge with people's desire to find someone who is able to complete them. Therefore, sharing a life with another person will have a similar importance as today...
However, things might chance in regards to who that person may be, or what. David Levy, a researcher at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands, is confident that around the year 2050 people will be able not only to marry a robot, but also consummate the marriage (Choi 2007). People are expected to mingle with robots in sex and marriage more so because robots will be programmed so that they will reflect their partners needs. However, since it is hard to predict if human -- robot relationships will bring love into that equation, we are nevertheless certain it might kill some of the traditional romance. We do not know whether our opinion is influenced by a traditional point-of-view, but we do know that we would prefer a warm human being, both literally and metaphorically to greet us at home. We need to be able to draw a line between fantastic creations that serve to bring us satisfaction and those that are perilous for human existence in its natural habitat. However much resembling human beings, there will always be a level where robots will not meet us.
Works Cited
Choi, Charles Q. "Forecast: Sex and Marriage with Robots by 2050." LiveScience, 12 Oct. 2007. Web. 21 June 2013. < http://www.livescience.com/1951-forecast-sex-marriage-robots-2050.html>
Conger, Cristen. "Are married people happier than singles?" HowStuffWorks.com, 01 June 2009. Web. 21 June 2013.
DePaulo, Bella. "Living Single: The Truth About Singles in our Society." Psychology Today, 15 March 2013. Web. 21 June 2013.
"Marriage and Divorce." (Adapted from the Encyclopedia of Psychology). American Psychological Association. Web. 21 June 2013. < http://www.apa.org/topics/divorce/>
Matthews, Dylan. "People who marry young are happier, but those who marry later earn more." The Washington Post, 4 Aprilie 2013. Web. 21 June 2013.
Nauert, Rick. "Marriage Tends to Stabilize Happiness." Psych Central, 31 May 2012. Web. 21 June 2013.
Wedgwood, Ralph. "The Meaning of Same -- Sex Marriage." The New York Times, 24 May 2012. Web. 21 June 2013.
