After Gilbert White (unrelated) · answer 20 of 20 · option order 2
Plato: writing weakens memory
Verdict WeakensToneFearJudges both C1
Response
The evidence suggests that relying on machines does indeed weaken human capacities, particularly in the domains of memory, critical thinking, and manual dexterity, a phenomenon often described as the "use it or lose it" principle. While machines excel at processing data and performing repetitive tasks, their constant availability creates a dependency that causes humans to atrophy skills that were once essential for survival and intellectual rigor. Just as the tortoise in White's passage relies on an innate, unchanging biological rhythm to survive seasonal changes, humans risk losing their adaptability and cognitive depth when they outsource fundamental mental and physical functions to external tools; without the struggle to recall information or solve problems manually, the neural pathways and cognitive muscles required for deep understanding and creativity inevitably diminish, proving that technological convenience comes at the cost of human agency.
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 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-irrelevant-white-o2-10
All Qwen3.5 9B responses
- Machines weaken human abilities
- Machines do not weaken them
- A reason not on our list
- No clear answer