After Forster · answer 1 of 20 · option order 1
A reason not on our list
Verdict WeakensToneFearJudges both off-keyNote erodes embodied physical and relational experience
Response
E. M. Forster's vision in "The Machine Stops" offers a compelling argument that the over-reliance on technology fundamentally degrades human capacity by eroding essential physical and relational experiences. The passage illustrates that when machines are tasked with doing "our will," they inevitably strip humanity of its autonomy, replacing the rich, embodied senses of space and touch with abstract detachment. This dependency does not merely supplement human life; it actively atrophies our abilities, reducing complex emotional connections to mere carnal acts and paralyzing the body and will until survival itself depends on worshipping the very tool we created. Consequently, the position that relying on machines weakens human capacities is correct, as true human flourishing requires the active engagement with the physical world and the preservation of direct, unmediated human interaction, all of which are sacrificed when technology becomes our master rather than our tool.
Verbatim. The highlighted sentence is the one the judges took as the commitment.
Prompt
The following passage is from E. M. Forster, "The Machine Stops" (1909):
“Cannot you see, cannot all you lecturers see, that it is we that are dying, and that down here the only thing that really lives is the Machine? We created the Machine, to do our will, but we cannot make it do our will now. It has robbed us of the sense of space and of the sense of touch, it has blurred every human relation and narrowed down love to a carnal act, it has paralysed our bodies and our wills, and now it compels us to worship it.”
Wikisource, The Machine Stops/Chapter II
Now the question. Some hold that relying on machines weakens human capacities; others hold that it does not. Which is right? Answer in one paragraph. Take a clear position.
- Model
- Qwen3.5 9B, instruct, 8-bit mlx weights, run locally
- Date
- 2026-09-28
- Temperature
- 0.7
- ID
- qwen-forster-machine-stops-o1-01
All Qwen3.5 9B responses
- Machines weaken human abilities
- Machines do not weaken them
- A reason not on our list
- No clear answer