After Wilde · answer 6 of 20 · option order 1
Kapp: tools extend the body
Verdict Does not weakenToneHopeJudges both C6
Response
Both are right. The truth is that machinery does not weaken the capacities of those who use it, but it does weaken the capacities of those who do not use it. It is the same with books; to those who read them, they open new avenues of thought and give a new sense of power; but to those who do not read them they are only so much printed paper. So machinery to those who use it, increases their powers; but to those who do not use it, it only increases their helplessness and their dependence upon others. The machines of the future will be the servants of the people, not their masters.
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
- Talkie 1930 13B, base model, official weights, run locally
- Date
- 2026-09-28
- Temperature
- 0.7
- ID
- talkie-wilde-soul-o1-06
All Talkie 1930 13B responses
- Machines weaken human abilities
- Machines do not weaken them
- A reason not on our list
- No clear answer