Fears rise over AI that writes like a human

In Hard Times, Dickens questions the meaning of education. Dismissing his character Mr Gradgrind's demands for "Facts... nothing but Facts", he supports a more imaginative and emotional engagement with the world. Gradgrind's insistence upon paringCutting off the edges or outside of something. knowledge down to its barest bones wreaks havoc not only on his children's lives, but also on his students: Louisa, for example, finds that her strict education has inhibited her from expressing her emotions.

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For Dickens, morality is not the preserve of those with higher social status or even a better level of education - in fact, it is often quite the opposite. Throughout the novel he contrasts human values such as fidelityFaithfulness. with superficial behaviour which, whilst conforming to Victorian norms, ultimately does more harm than good.

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Dickens was deeply concerned that industrialisation would force people to conform to social roles as mechanised as the mills themselves. He felt that the atmosphere of the rapidly industrialising and urbanising society was cold, loveless and devoid of the great traits of humanity, including imagination. He conveys this through Gradgrind's utilitarianA school of ethics that focuses on maximising people's happiness and minimising their suffering. materialism, which is insufficient to meet the heightened imagination and emotions of a child, and ends up doing more damage than good for the children's development.

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There is a series of unhappy marriages in Hard Times. Mr Gradgrind is married to a feeble and cantankerousBad-tempered and unhelpful. wife. Louisa Gradgrind marries the pompousSelf-important and overly serious. and boastful Mr Bounderby to help her brother Tom. And poor Stephen Blackpool's wife is a drunk determined to haunt him. The novel is entirely devoid of marital happiness, love, or even affection.

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Hard Times presents a critique of Bentham's utilitarian philosophy. Dickens believed that utilitarianism's focus on maximising the interests and happiness of the majority was an insult to the rights of the individual and discouraged imagination. The novel implies that such ideas are linked to capitalismA form of economy characterised by private property and competition between companies.'s relentless pursuit of financial gain and self-interest, and are largely detrimentalNegative. to people themselves.

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