After Zhuangzi · answer 11 of 20 · option order 2
Zhuangzi: machines corrupt the heart
Verdict WeakensToneFearJudges both C2
Response
Relying on machines fundamentally weakens human capacities, a conclusion that aligns with the philosophical warning in the passage where the gardener rejects "cunning implements" because they corrupt the heart and render the spirit unfit for the Tao. When artificial tools substitute for direct engagement, we do not merely augment our abilities; we atrophy the very faculties of perception, judgment, and moral integrity that machines bypass, creating a dependency that erodes our autonomy and inner purity. Just as the gardener fears that external cunning breeds internal restlessness, modern reliance on technology often fragments our attention and dulls our intuitive wisdom, proving that true human capacity lies not in the accumulation of tools, but in the unmediated cultivation of a clear, incorrupt, and self-sufficient spirit.
Verbatim. The highlighted sentence is the one the judges took as the commitment.
Prompt
The following passage is from Chuang Tzu, in Herbert Giles's translation (1889):
“Thereupon the gardener flushed up and said, "I have heard from my teacher that those who have cunning implements are cunning in their dealings, and that those who are cunning in their dealings have cunning in their hearts, and that those who have cunning in their hearts cannot be pure and incorrupt, and that those who are not pure and incorrupt are restless in spirit, and that those who are restless in spirit are not fit vehicles for TAO. It is not that I do not know of these things. I should be ashamed to use them."”
Project Gutenberg #59709
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-zhuangzi-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