We are all shaped by the tools we use, in particular: the formalisms w…

Edsger Dijkstra
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We are all shaped by the tools we use, in particular: the formalisms we use shape our thinking habits, for better or for worse, and that means that we have to be very careful in the choice of what we learn and teach, for unlearning is not really possible.
Thought
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Program testing can be used to show the presence of bugs, but never to show their absence! ✨ Notes On Structured Programming by Edsger Dijkstra, April 1970.
Progress is possible only if we train ourselves to think about programs without thinking of them as pieces of executable code.
The question of whether computers can think is like the question of whether submarines can swim. ✨ Interview with Jack Schofield, www.theguardian.com. August 19, 2002.

We are all shaped by the tools we use, in particular: the formalisms we use shape our thinking habits, for better or for worse, and that means that we have to be very careful in the choice of what we learn and teach, for unlearning is not really possible.

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