Rousseau: tools weaken the body

Response

The truth seems to be that it is a question of the thing on which the reliance is placed. Is it on the strength of his own muscles, or on the strength of the machine? If it is on the machine, with a feeling that the machine will not fail, the tendency is not to strengthen the workman’s muscles, but to deteriorate them. But if he relies on his own strength, and on that alone, the effect is a double one. It increases his confidence in his own powers, and must increase his power to use those powers. Whether the machine helps him or not, the workman’s own strength is his main reliance; and the greater the confidence in his own powers, the greater the power.

Verbatim. The highlighted sentence is the one the judges took as the commitment.

Prompt

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

Talkie 1930 13B, base model, official weights, run locally

Date

2026-09-28

Temperature

0.7

ID

talkie-none-o2-01