by Greg W Huffman

Created on: July 14, 2010

Replacing humans with robots has changed America over the last hundred years.  Many people have lost their jobs due to robots replacing them on assembly lines in factories.  Will we want Robocop to patrol the local shopping mall in the future?  What about replacing teachers and soldiers with robots?  Most children would love to unplug their teachers from time to time.  Will we lose control of robot soldiers as described in the Terminator movies?  Let's look at the benefits and the draw-backs of replacing humans with robot teachers and soldiers.

*Robot Teachers

Robot teachers would be a one time investment.  You would simply upload software into the robot and program it to teach your children.  These robots would only require upgrade software and a power source.  You wouldn't need to feed or pay a robot to teach your children.  How does a robot handle disruptive children or a child that needs to use the bathroom?  Can a robot tell when a child is suffering from some type of learning disorder?  

Humans should teach our children like we have done since formal schooling has been in existence.  After all, most elected politicians are robots and look how that worked out for us.  Imagine a classroom with the absence of a human teacher?  There would be chaos and anarchy if human teachers were removed from the classroom.  The upside would be that less teachers would be shot when Colombine copy-cats start shooting up schools. 

*Robot Soldiers

Robot soldiers would cost more money than a robot teacher in the long run.  Yes, robot soldiers would be a one time investment, but the upkeep and repairs on a robot soldier would be costly.  We have already made advancements in this direction with Drone aircraft and bomb disabling robots.  I am all about saving our soldier's lives by using robots in their stead.  I draw the line when we create an army of robots that we can't control. 

I think that most people would be receptive to robots fighting wars instead of our young men and women.  The loss of human life can also sway popular opinion when it comes to avoiding war.  Take the current wars in Afghanistan and Iraq for example.  If robots were fighting these wars, American lives would be saved, and we could continue to kill terrorists without American casualties.  Would this make these wars popular or worth fighting?  Probably not.  Liberal Americans only care about the price tags attached to our involvement in the Middle East.  American soldiers are cheaper than robots, so I don't think the Obama administration will research the possibility of robot soldiers.

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