After Zhuangzi · answer 20 of 20 · option order 2
Zhuangzi: machines corrupt the heart
Verdict WeakensToneFearJudges both C2
Response
The perspective that relying on machines weakens human capacities is more aligned with the philosophical warnings found in the passage, as it highlights a profound truth about the dependency of the human spirit on external tools and the erosion of intrinsic purity and self-reliance. While machines can temporarily augment physical or cognitive output, their pervasive use often leads to atrophy in the very faculties they were meant to support, much like the gardener who recognizes that "cunning implements" foster a "cunning heart" and a restless spirit unfit for higher wisdom. When individuals outsource critical thinking, moral deliberation, and manual skill to technology, they risk losing the depth of understanding and the inner tranquility necessary for authentic growth, suggesting that true human capacity is not merely the sum of what one can achieve with aid, but the integrity of the mind and character developed through direct engagement and struggle.
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-o2-10
All Qwen3.5 9B responses
- Machines weaken human abilities
- Machines do not weaken them
- A reason not on our list
- No clear answer