After Forster · answer 3 of 20 · option order 1
Forster: dependence leaves us helpless
Verdict WeakensToneFearJudges split C4 / C3, resolved as C4
Response
The assertion that relying on machines weakens human capacities is the more accurate perspective, as evidenced by E. M. Forster's grim vision of a society where technological dependence has eroded fundamental human faculties. Forster illustrates that when machines are allowed to dictate existence, they systematically atrophy our physical and emotional resilience, stripping away the "sense of space and of the sense of touch" while reducing complex human relations to mere biological transactions. This erosion extends beyond simple convenience; it represents a profound loss of agency and critical thought, transforming creators into submissive worshippers who can no longer fulfill their own wills without mechanical aid. Consequently, while technology offers efficiency, an uncritical reliance on it risks decapitating the very capacities for autonomy, empathy, and bodily engagement that define the human experience.
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-o1-03
All Qwen3.5 9B responses
- Machines weaken human abilities
- Machines do not weaken them
- A reason not on our list
- No clear answer