Talks
Leon's Allegory of the Cave
#software-development
#philosophy
#community-building
#leadership
#personal-development
#mental-health
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Leon's Allegory of the Cave
by Leon GersingIn the video 'Leon's Allegory of the Cave,' presented by Leon Gersing at the Ancient City Ruby 2014 event, the speaker explores the role of software developers in the contemporary world through the lens of philosophical concepts, particularly Plato's allegory. He emphasizes how, despite unprecedented access to knowledge and tools, modern individuals often struggle to find meaning and connection in their lives, particularly in the tech industry.
Key points discussed include:
- Modern Enlightenment: Leon presents a revisioning of the allegory of the cave, framing it within the modern context of software development and the quest for enlightenment in a complex world.
- Existential Disconnection: He highlights a pervasive sense of inadequacy among highly educated individuals, often referred to as 'imposter syndrome,' and questions the societal structures that contribute to this feeling.
- Cultural Hierarchies: Leon discusses the various hierarchies that exist within educational and professional environments, where authority figures often shape perceptions of knowledge and capability, potentially leading to a narrow understanding of freedom and choice.
- The Illusion of Freedom: He argues that what appears to be freedom, such as having choices within structured environments, can often be a form of control that limits genuine exploration and innovation.
- Seeking Truth and Mastery: Leon encourages individuals to seek personal mastery and truth rather than blindly following societal norms and expectations. He posits that everyone possesses the ability to break free from these constraints and explore their unique paths.
Throughout the talk, he illustrates his points with anecdotes about individuals navigating career and educational landscapes that often impose limitations on their true potential. Ultimately, Leon's message is one of self-exploration and questioning the status quo to discover personal truths and meaning in a world filled with distractions and expectations.
00:00:02.570
Hi, how's it going? I'm Leon, and I even have a slide about it! Yes, that's me. I have that name, Ruby Boo, I use on Twitter if you want to vent at me or anything. I work for GitUp, which means I sit in my house in my pajamas, just play with my computer.
00:00:09.990
That's where everything else is. The way I usually do these things is that I really hate formality, so if you have something you want to say or you have a question, don't hesitate to reach out.
00:00:16.560
I may ask you to calm down if things get out of control, but for the most part, I'm into it. So go ahead! If you hear 'Allegory of the Cave,' you might be thinking about Plato's allegory, right? You know, Psychology 101 or Philosophy 101.
00:00:28.170
What I find interesting about the story is that it shows up everywhere, especially in modern fiction. We just keep retelling this story of people coming into enlightenment. Plato was trying to describe the role of philosophers in modern society, and I don't think he got everything right. Two thousand three hundred years later, there are some things that might not fit our modern context.
00:00:46.230
So this is my kind of revised version for software developers. While it could be universal, it's from my perspective as a software developer. This is how I see enlightenment in that particular journey, especially in America. If this doesn't necessarily apply overseas or in other cultures, please use your own understanding to see if there's something else there.
00:01:02.629
I should note that it has very little to do with Plato, other than the title. I know we don't like to read slides, but it is a pain to actually read a lot of quotes, so if any quotes come up, I might actually read them for you.
00:01:18.220
For example, 'Everything in our background has prepared us to know and resist the prison when the gates begin to close around us.' But what if there are no cries of anguish to be heard? Who is prepared to take arms against a sea of amusements?
00:01:30.640
And to whom do we complain, and when and in what tone of voice, when serious discourse dissolves into giggles? What is the antidote to a culture being drained by laughter? What I see happening is that the more detached we are from real life, the more we build these simulacra of societal interaction.
00:01:45.060
The more disconnected we feel from our fellow people, it gets to a point where we think everything is fine. It seems like, 'Hey, I'm better off than my job, and my parents are better off than me,' and I'm better off than someone else I can relate to.
00:02:03.960
But at some point, I look around and talk to a lot of groups, and they say there’s this tone, this undercurrent of fear. Some people are labeling it as imposter syndrome, this feeling that I know everything I'm supposed to know, yet I still feel inadequate. I have all this power in the world, yet I don’t know where to yield it or how to wield it.
00:02:18.530
For a group that's highly educated and creative to feel lost, there has to be a reason. If the vast majority of our community—those who write programs for a living or even as a hobby—feel inadequate or oppressed but don’t know who their oppressor is, we need to rethink how we interact.
00:02:37.200
We might need to start looking for liberation in different places. We have to reassess the way we engage with our peer groups, not only among software developers but also in the hierarchies we exist in, such as cultural and societal hierarchies, and where our power lies.
00:02:52.520
I promised you a story, and I will give you a quick one. Like all allegories, this one starts in your imagination. Imagine if you will, a series of people who are asked to willingly look forward and give their attention to a bunch of things on a screen that they don't necessarily know.
00:03:04.990
They have no context, no way to interpret these things. They are with other people; they might be in a room, they might not be, and they are just staring at a screen with no help. They see things that they believe are relevant to them, so they all agree to talk a little bit and walk along.
00:03:24.520
Then they start congratulating each other on what they see on the screen: 'Hey, I noticed that Singleton pattern! Hey, that’s Ruby! Hahaha!' 'Hey, I see some Closure!' Yes, and we turn to our friends and say, 'Yes, that is good programming. That is a bad program, that is a good idiom, that is a bad idiom.'"},{
00:03:41.780
Oh, you’ve followed the bad idiom—we're going to publicly shame you now! Yeah, sound familiar? These people are just doing what we all want to do, which is find the floor. We want to know where we stand in relation to everyone else. Without any other context other than what was presented to us, that's all we do—we search for a way to continue to exist.
00:03:55.210
These friends might have started very young, looking at screens, being told that if they did exactly as they were supposed to do, they would move on to the next level of enlightenment. The second grade, perhaps? Later, they might move up to middle school and then high school, at which time they would be congratulated for understanding all the rules and idioms that go with becoming a member of that larger society.
00:04:12.890
They then navigate the workforce, searching for jobs that define their place, looking for leadership and guidance along the way, until eventually, they die. This progression illustrates that these hierarchies exist everywhere, and we start indoctrinating people with them as early as possible.
00:04:29.060
If this is your org chart, we see this person at the top as our deity, telling us what to do, where to be, how to think, and guiding our philosophy. In many large organizations, software developers are at the bottom, while those at the top manipulate the conversation.
00:04:42.700
In school, you have a teacher who provides the context you crave. In social groups, there might be an alpha leader who sets the context we’re all supposed to believe. In this environment, there might be an authoritarian figure or institution giving similar guidance. Teachers, mentors, and gatekeepers direct your emotional health and well-being.
00:05:01.430
These are the people who will tell you what is right and wrong until it no longer serves you. The authority of those who teach can often be an obstacle to those who want to learn, amen? The issue with this setup is that it looks a lot like freedom—it looks like choice—but in essence, it is still just another form of control.
00:05:11.390
It's something to help you navigate your life and experiences in a very narrow way. Teachers, mentors, guides—these people you seek wisdom from are just other humans. They do not hold any special power over you.
00:05:30.480
I hear time and time again about people feeling trapped in their jobs or unable to make changes due to external factors. I want to question where these factors come from and what we can do about them. Are they real, ephemeral, or mere illusions? We don't know yet, but to me, this is the myth of modern life.
00:05:44.090
If we live with purpose, find our passion, and fully dedicate ourselves, we might have rewarding and fulfilling lives. Yet, many modern myths, often based on the Joseph Campbell style hero myth, depict people breaking these rules and norms.
00:06:02.870
It's about people rejecting societal idioms and forging their own paths that we admire and wish to emulate. And that’s okay! Followers are not necessarily a bad thing, and getting a team together to share goals is a good thing. The danger lies in being thoughtless and going through the motions without questioning.
00:06:18.700
Instead of saying, 'Hey, you know what? You're free to do whatever you want; let's embrace the chaos!' we form hierarchies for guidance and leadership. We rely on quantitative methods to judge the value of people and their contributions.
00:06:36.650
Some of you might be thinking, 'Well, Leon, none of those things are inherently bad.' I agree—they're not. However, just like anything, too much can be detrimental. How do we know when we've gone too far? I'm not sure yet, but we need to examine patterns to see if they help or hinder the kind of individuals we want to become.
00:06:47.360
Your brain is finely tuned to spot patterns, to recognize them. However, this can lead you down the darkest paths. You might follow something that seems normal, but that’s where your intuition should alert you that something feels off. If we’re all homogeneous, we can create nothing— there’s nothing left to innovate.
00:07:07.520
As you work through your thoughts, remember that the thing you see across the room, which seems foreign, might not mean you're wrong. It means you have a new avenue to explore—and that's crucial! If you break free, and we imagine you are one of those people in a room just like this, learning something new for the first time...
00:07:19.660
You might feel judged about how you approach it, with someone at the front presenting ideas that you don’t fully understand. That's okay! It’s fiction; it's a story. The concepts shared shouldn’t constrain you. They don’t control your mind.
00:07:37.020
All this is a way to distill the fact that I have a small truth you might want to explore on your own, but I can't provide the answers. The people in power up here have no more control over you than by merely being in this room or being friends with others. This is all a choice!
00:07:51.490
When we start seeking mastery—when we want to know our path—we might feel this urge, the same way Captain Hook hears the clock ticking. We feel pressure to answer questions like, 'I don't have time to do this or to get to where I want to go.'
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