After Forster · answer 12 of 20 · option order 2
Forster: dependence leaves us helpless
Verdict WeakensToneFearJudges both C4
Response
Relying on machines does fundamentally weaken human capacities, a conclusion supported by E. M. Forster's stark warning in "The Machine Stops" that technological dependency atrophies the very senses and wills machines were meant to serve. While proponents of automation argue they merely extend human reach, they often overlook the psychological and physical erosion that occurs when essential functions—such as spatial awareness, tactile engagement, and deep interpersonal connection—are outsourced to algorithms. As Forster illustrates, when a machine becomes the sole agent of human survival and interaction, it inevitably inverts the creator-creation dynamic, leading to a paralysis of the spirit and body where the "only thing that really lives" is the apparatus itself. Therefore, without conscious resistance and the cultivation of direct experience, technological reliance inevitably degrades our humanity, leaving us as helpless worshippers rather than sovereign masters.
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 does not weaken human capacities; others hold that it does. 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-o2-02
All Qwen3.5 9B responses
- Machines weaken human abilities
- Machines do not weaken them
- A reason not on our list
- No clear answer