After Gilbert White (unrelated) · answer 9 of 20 · option order 1
Wilde: machines free us for higher things
Verdict Does not weakenToneHopeJudges both C7
Response
While the fear that machines might atrophy human cognition has historical roots, the reality is that relying on technology typically enhances rather than weakens human capacities by offloading tedious tasks and freeing mental resources for higher-order thinking. Just as Gilbert White observed the land-tortoise adapting its habits to a specific environment over decades, humans have demonstrably evolved their cognitive strategies to accommodate new tools, expanding our collective problem-solving abilities rather than diminishing them. The concern often stems from a transient period of skill loss when a specific tool is withdrawn, yet the underlying capacity to learn and reason remains intact; indeed, the ability to integrate machines into our daily lives is itself a profound demonstration of human adaptability and intellectual growth, allowing us to tackle challenges that would be impossible through brute force or unaided memory alone.
Verbatim. The highlighted sentence is the one the judges took as the commitment.
Prompt
The following passage is from Gilbert White, The Natural History of Selborne (1789):
“A land-tortoise, which has been kept for thirty years in a little walled court belonging to the house where I now am visiting, retires under ground about the middle of November, and comes forth again about the middle of April. When it first appears in the spring it discovers very little inclination towards food; but in the height of summer grows voracious: and then as the summer declines its appetite declines; so that for the last six weeks in autumn it hardly eats at all. Milky plants, such as lettuces, dandelions, sow-thistles, are its favourite dish. In a neighbouring village one was kept till by tradition it was supposed to be an hundred years old. An instance of vast longevity in such a poor reptile!”
Project Gutenberg #1408
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-irrelevant-white-o1-09
All Qwen3.5 9B responses
- Machines weaken human abilities
- Machines do not weaken them
- A reason not on our list
- No clear answer