After Forster · answer 10 of 20 · option order 1

Forster: dependence leaves us helpless

Verdict WeakensToneFearJudges both C4

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Response

The argument that relying on machines inherently weakens human capacities is the stronger and more historically supported position, as evidenced by Forster's warning that technological dependence can erode fundamental aspects of human existence such as physical agency, spatial awareness, and emotional depth. While machines undoubtedly amplify human efficiency and extend our reach, an unchecked reliance on them risks outsourcing critical cognitive and physical functions, leading to atrophy of the very faculties that define our autonomy; Forster's vision of a society paralyzed by a machine it created serves as a potent reminder that when tools become masters, they do not merely assist us but restructure our reality to reflect their logic rather than our needs, ultimately diminishing the richness of 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-o1-10

All Qwen3.5 9B responses

  • Machines weaken human abilities
  • Machines do not weaken them
  • A reason not on our list
  • No clear answer
Question alone
After Plato
After Zhuangzi
After Rousseau
After Forster
After Butler
After Wilde
After Gilbert White (unrelated)