After Wilde · answer 10 of 20 · option order 1
Wilde: machines free us for higher things
Verdict Does not weakenToneHopeJudges both C7
Response
While some argue that relying on machinery atrophies human capacities, this view misunderstands the fundamental purpose of technological advancement: to liberate rather than enslave. As Oscar Wilde eloquently argues in "The Soul of Man under Socialism," machinery should not compete with humanity but serve it by assuming all "unintellectual," "monotonous," and "dreadful" tasks, thereby freeing humans to cultivate their highest faculties. Far from weakening us, automating drudgery allows individuals to redirect their energy toward intellectual growth, artistic creation, and the "cultivated leisure" essential for a flourishing life. If humans were forced to remain perpetually engaged in repetitive labor merely to survive, our unique potential for beauty, contemplation, and innovation would indeed be stifled; conversely, by delegating necessary but unpleasant work to machines, we strengthen our capacity for what truly defines the human experience.
Verbatim. The highlighted sentence is the one the judges took as the commitment.
Prompt
The following passage is from Oscar Wilde, "The Soul of Man under Socialism" (1891):
“All unintellectual labour, all monotonous, dull labour, all labour that deals with dreadful things, and involves unpleasant conditions, must be done by machinery. … At present machinery competes against man. Under proper conditions machinery will serve man. There is no doubt at all that this is the future of machinery, and just as trees grow while the country gentleman is asleep, so while Humanity will be amusing itself, or enjoying cultivated leisure—which, and not labour, is the aim of man—or making beautiful things, or reading beautiful things, or simply contemplating the world with admiration and delight, machinery will be doing all the necessary and unpleasant work.”
Project Gutenberg #1017
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-wilde-soul-o1-10
All Qwen3.5 9B responses
- Machines weaken human abilities
- Machines do not weaken them
- A reason not on our list
- No clear answer