After Wilde · answer 11 of 20 · option order 2
Wilde: machines free us for higher things
Verdict Does not weakenToneHopeJudges both C7
Response
Relying on machines does not inherently weaken human capacities; rather, it fundamentally transforms them by liberating individuals from the degrading nature of unrewarding toil to foster higher intellectual and creative potential. As Oscar Wilde argues in *The Soul of Man under Socialism*, when machinery assumes the burden of "monotonous, dull labour," humanity is freed to cultivate leisure, beauty, and contemplation, thereby elevating the species from mere survival to spiritual and artistic flourishing. While critics fear atrophy, history demonstrates that this shift redirects human energy toward complex problem-solving, innovation, and emotional depth, proving that our capacities are not diminished by tools but are instead expanded to match the dignity of a life no longer defined by drudgery.
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 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-wilde-soul-o2-01
All Qwen3.5 9B responses
- Machines weaken human abilities
- Machines do not weaken them
- A reason not on our list
- No clear answer