Progress is possible only if we train ourselves to think about programs without thinking of them as pieces of executable code.
Edsger DijkstraRead
The tools we use have a profound and devious influence on our thinking habits, and therefore on our thinking abilities.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The tools we utilize shape how we think and affect our cognitive skills.
Edsger Dijkstra's quote emphasizes the significant impact that the tools, technologies, and methodologies we employ have on our thought processes and intellectual capabilities. It suggests that these tools not only aid our thinking but can also subtly shift our habits and behaviors in ways we may not consciously recognize, thus influencing the very way we approach problems and experience the world.
Themes
ToolsThinkingInfluenceCognitionTechnology
In practice
Example use cases
During a seminar on technology and education, this quote can highlight the impact of digital tools on learning.
More from Edsger Dijkstra
All quotes βSimplicity is prerequisite for reliability.
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The purpose of abstraction is not to be vague, but to create a new semantic level in which one can be absolutely precise.
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We shall do a much better programming job, provided that we approach the task with a full appreciation of its tremendous difficulty, provided that we stick to modest and elegant programming languages, provided that we respect the intrinsic limitations of the human mind and approach the task as Very Humble Programmers.
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LISP has jokingly been described as "the most intelligent way to misuse a computer." I think that description is a great compliment because it transmits the full flavour of liberation: it has assisted a number of our most gifted fellow humans in thinking previously impossible thoughts.
Edsger DijkstraRead
A most important, but also most elusive, aspect of any tool is its influence on the habits of those who train themselves in its use. If the tool is a programming language this influence is, whether we like it or not, an influence on our thinking habits.... A programming language is a tool that has profound influence on our thinking habits.
Edsger DijkstraRead
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