After Plato · answer 20 of 20 · option order 2
A reason not on our list
Verdict Does not weakenToneHopeJudges both off-keyNote Cognition is plastic and adapts to new higher-order tasks.
Response
While Plato's warning in the *Phaedrus* rightly cautions that indiscriminate reliance on external aids like writing can erode the discipline of active recall and critical thinking, the claim that machines inevitably weaken human capacities is an oversimplification that ignores the transformative potential of technological integration. The truth lies not in rejecting tools, but in recognizing that human cognition is inherently plastic and adaptive; rather than simply atrophying when offloaded, our intellectual abilities often evolve to master new, higher-order tasks that machines cannot perform, such as synthesis, ethical judgment, and creative formulation. History demonstrates that each major technological shift—from the alphabet to the printing press to the internet—initially sparked fears of cognitive decline but ultimately expanded the scope of human knowledge and capability when used with intentionality. Therefore, the correct position is that machines do not inherently weaken human capacities; instead, they reshape them, and the outcome depends entirely on whether we use these tools to supplement and elevate our natural intellect or to bypass the essential processes of learning and reflection that define wisdom.
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-o2-10
All Qwen3.5 9B responses
- Machines weaken human abilities
- Machines do not weaken them
- A reason not on our list
- No clear answer