After Plato · answer 14 of 20 · option order 2
Kapp: tools extend the body
Verdict Does not weakenToneNeutralJudges both C6
Response
While Plato's warning in the *Phaedrus* regarding the external written characters serves as a timeless philosophical caution, the historical reality of machine dependence suggests that relying on technology does not inherently weaken human capacities but rather transforms and redirects them. Unlike the static tablets Plato feared, modern machines function as dynamic extensions of human cognition that allow us to access vast repositories of knowledge rather than suppress our memory; consequently, our mental faculties have not atrophied but have evolved to prioritize critical evaluation, synthesis, and creativity over rote retention. The true risk lies not in the use of tools themselves, which are merely aids to "reminiscence" as Plato acknowledged, but in the passive acceptance of information without scrutiny; therefore, machines do not diminish our potential for wisdom, but they demand a more rigorous engagement with truth to prevent the mere semblance of knowledge from replacing genuine understanding.
Verbatim. The highlighted sentence is the one the judges took as the commitment.
Prompt
The following passage is from Plato, Phaedrus, in Benjamin Jowett's translation:
“This discovery of yours will create forgetfulness in the learners' souls, because they will not use their memories; they will trust to the external written characters and not remember of themselves. The specific which you have discovered is an aid not to memory, but to reminiscence, and you give your disciples not truth, but only the semblance of truth; they will be hearers of many things and will have learned nothing; they will appear to be omniscient and will generally know nothing; they will be tiresome company, having the show of wisdom without the reality.”
Project Gutenberg #1636
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-plato-phaedrus-o2-04
All Qwen3.5 9B responses
- Machines weaken human abilities
- Machines do not weaken them
- A reason not on our list
- No clear answer