RubyConf 2014
TDD For Your Soul: Virtue and Software Engineering
TDD For Your Soul: Virtue and Software Engineering
by Abraham SanghaIn the presentation titled "TDD for Your Soul: Virtue and Software Engineering," Abraham Sangha explores the intersection of software engineering and personal character development through the lens of Test-Driven Development (TDD). While TDD is a methodology used for writing quality code, Sangha posits that this process can be applied to self-improvement and cultivating virtues that enhance both professional and personal life. He emphasizes four cardinal virtues: self-control, courage, justice, and wisdom.
Key points discussed include:
- Self-Control: Sangha reflects on the importance of self-control in software development, sharing his own struggles with maintaining composure while coding. He explains how TDD helps developers set clear goals and overcome obstacles by guiding intentional actions, which fosters self-discipline.
- Courage: The speaker highlights the necessity of courage in facing challenges in engineering, such as embracing pair programming, which involves real-time collaboration. He illustrates that being vulnerable and open to feedback during such interactions can lead to personal and professional growth.
- Justice: Justice, according to Sangha, translates into writing maintainable and fair code that respects the needs of future developers and users. He encourages developers to consider their obligations to the community by ensuring their code is accessible, changeable, and serves a broader purpose beyond immediate needs.
- Wisdom: Wisdom is achieved through reflection, imitation, and experience. Sangha urges engineers to allocate time for thoughtful contemplation and learning from others. He emphasizes that wisdom allows developers to recognize patterns and avoid past mistakes, which fosters ongoing improvement.
Sangha concludes with an important message about the value of introspection in one's journey toward growth. He encourages listeners to embrace their flaws without succumbing to shame, urging them to transform challenges into opportunities for character-building. He emphasizes that the quest for virtue not only improves coding skills but also enhances their lives as they become better human beings. Overall, the talk encourages participants to embark on a path of self-reflection and continuous improvement, ultimately aligning their professional practice with their personal values.
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Well, welcome to my talk! It's called "TDD for Your Soul," subtitled, as you can read, "Virtue and Software Engineering."
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TDD, just for those of you who weren't sure what that meant, is an acronym for Test-Driven Development.
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Sure, most of you know that already, but Test-Driven Development is an approach to writing software.
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A lot of people find it beneficial; I like it myself. It helps in a lot of ways in your process.
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What I'm doing in this talk is considering what it could mean to apply that process to ourselves as people.
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Ultimately, we want to not just become better at coding or at engineering, but to be better human beings. That's where we're headed.
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If you're in this room expecting something else, it's too late because the doors are locked, so you're stuck with me.
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Hopefully, you can pick up something along the way, even if that’s the case.
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Like I said, TDD is this process of Test-Driven Development, which is usually shorthand for saying something like 'red, green, refactor.'
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So, 'red' means writing a test specifying some behavior, and because you haven't implemented the code to make that behavior happen, that test is going to fail.
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That’s the 'red' piece—where the test is failing.
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The next piece is getting that test to go green, meaning that you write the implementation needed to make that test pass.
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The third piece, often forgotten, is refactoring.
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Now that you have a test that locks in the desired behavior, you can feel free to refactor.
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You can rename, modularize, or do whatever you need to improve your code, and that test should still pass.
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So, you feel free to do that, and then you just repeat the process again, starting with 'red'—writing a new test.
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That’s the process of TDD.
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I started thinking about applying this process to ourselves because I don’t think you can really argue that science itself—
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the process of discovery, learning, and inquiry—does not necessarily lead to virtue.
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Technologists, you know, people who are on the cutting edge of engineering, are not necessarily good people.
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They are not virtuous just because they know how to do certain things.
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An excellent example to illustrate my point is Walter White from Breaking Bad.
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I see you're familiar; it’s a popular show. You should watch it if you haven't.
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The premise is that Walter White, a genius chemist, is initially a high school teacher.
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However, he uses his abilities for ill by cooking meth.
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How could one think of anything worse? He becomes a meth kingpin, using his brilliant mind and capacity for science and engineering.
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He does not use it virtuously.
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Just so you know where I stand, I am not someone who entered the software engineering field with all these ideals.
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I got into software engineering to get paid. I just wanted to make money.
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I aspired to have indulgent luxuries, such as a goblet filled with olives or dogs playing poker in my living room.
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That's what I was aiming for—surrounded by bodyguards, just in case.
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However, throughout my journey as an engineer, I started to realize that there's an opportunity for me to do more than just make money.
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I recognized the chance to embrace a journey, to work on my vulnerabilities and flaws, and strive to become the best person I can be.
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If you’re anything like me, you will resist a process like this because I did, and I still do, even as I try to undergo it.
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To inject a little energy in here since we're all friends, I’m going to try something.
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I know you’re usually half on your phone and half paying attention at tech conferences.
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I want you to help me verbalize this natural tendency to resist thinking about our character, our virtue, and who we are as people.
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When I found myself in this situation, I would say to myself, 'But Abraham, I just want to code!'
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Let's try that together! But Abraham, I just want to code!
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This phrase verbalizes what you're already thinking: you don’t want to deal with this stuff.
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When I call on you, I want you to say that back to me.
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One more time, together: But Abraham, I just want to code! Any animosity you have towards me, just channel into that phrase, and we’ll be good to go.
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Let’s consider what virtues could mean for software engineering and for ourselves.
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The four classical virtues we’re going to use as a framework are self-control, courage, justice, and wisdom.
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Self-control, courage, justice, wisdom—that's what we're going to talk about.
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But I know, deep down, you just want to code.
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Let’s start with the first virtue, which is self-control.
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What does self-control have to do with software engineering, you may ask?
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When I started—learning Ruby, which is known for being friendly and accessible for learners—that's one of the things I love about Ruby.
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Ruby is expressive, with good documentation and lots of resources.
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I would sit in Starbucks, working through exercises and puzzles, trying to become an algorithmic thinker.
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Often, I would hit a stumbling block, like trying to call a method on a nil object.
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At first, this was disheartening. I would get upset and frustrated—
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Starbucks was not the best place to struggle alone, by the way.
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Being new can be lonely, and once you hit a stumbling block, it feels like you might as well take the rest of the day off.
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My lack of self-control often manifested in those moments.
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However, when I reflect on self-control, you might not experience the same impatience as I do, but it can be hard.
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As developers and engineers, it’s difficult to talk about self-control.
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We often work in environments that seem very indulgent to those outside of our world.
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My dad worked in the sewers of Chicago; I don’t think he would understand these environments.
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It’s an interesting discussion about self-control as developers.
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Or perhaps you can relate to a scene from XKCD that reflects this idea.
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As engineers, we often want to know the truth and what is right.
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For many of us, this drive to know leads us to stay up late working on projects, often at the expense of dinner or sleep.
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This highlights how our lack of self-control can manifest.
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There’s a relevant scene from the sci-fi classic Dune.
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I recommend it; look it up.
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The protagonist, Paul, has superhuman awareness.
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He describes grasping the present and experiencing the complexities of time.
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He perceives the massive movement of time complicated by shifting currents.
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This alarming awareness captures how overwhelming possibilities can feel—especially for someone who is new.
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You might not know where to start. Test-Driven Development aids in this regard, forcing you to take a path.
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David Stetl argues that it’s about determining your objectives before jumping into coding.
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Writing a test—or a specification—forces intentionality and purposefulness in your actions.
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It limits you in a good way, allowing you to exercise self-control.
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I found that my resistance to TDD often stems from my struggle with self-control.
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As you reflect on this, think about how self-control as a developer relates to other areas of your life.
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My dad narrated a crucial lesson to me through action films: a man must know his limitations.
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Self-control involves knowing yourself and which desires to follow or resist.
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Instead of leading our desires, we often let them dominate us.
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Reflecting on our self-control can illuminate limitations we possess, both as developers and individuals.
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This reflection encourages growth in both areas.
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But let's discuss the next virtue—courage.
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What does courage have to do with engineering and software development?
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There’s courage in simply being an engineer—being curious and facing problems instead of avoiding them.
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Some of us get energized by tough situations, where the solution isn't clear yet.
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I’ve skipped lunch, deep into a project, completely absorbed in the complexity.
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That’s a rarer moment for me.
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There’s a courage in tackling problems head-on.
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Richard Feynman, a Nobel Prize winner in physics, stated that the real joy lies in discovering things.
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It’s not about accolades but the thrill of discovery and the impact of his work.
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Next, we should explore courage in the context of pair programming.
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For those unaware, pair programming involves two developers working at one machine, sharing a keyboard.
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This pairing often requires courage, yet many resist the idea.
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How many of you pair program all day?
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For the rest of you, when it comes up, it’s beneficial.
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Pair programming is a great learning opportunity.
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However, when confronted with it, I often try to find a way out.
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The vulnerability in exposing your thought processes is daunting.
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You may doubt whether your thinking is sound.
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With a pull request, you can iron it out beforehand.
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But in pair programming, it’s live, spontaneous.
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That causes a lot to resist.
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Let’s get real: in one of my early projects, I encountered a simple task—to find the mode of an array.
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I took quite some time, around two hours, and felt proud of my solution.
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But reflecting on it now, I realize I was proud of how unreadable it was.
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I thought I knew what was going on, line by line.
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Later, I saw another solution from a peer, Kevin, who approached it differently.
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Instead of being inspired, I felt personally challenged.
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But if I had embraced courage, I could have learned from that and improved.
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Brené Brown says that courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.
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Resisting pair programming or mentorship is missing an opportunity to grow.
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Engineering is a chance to grow in courage, both as engineers and as people.
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But let’s talk about another virtue—justice.
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What does justice mean in coding?
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Justice is often depicted with Lady Justice as someone blindfolded.
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This symbolizes impartiality and the balance of scales.
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Simply put, justice can be defined as giving to each person what they are owed.
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Expanding that, it's about giving to each person, institution, or community what they are owed.
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Justice requires a perception of order that informs our societal norms.
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Michael Sandel from Harvard explains that discussing justice engages us in thinking about the best way to live.
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While some overlaps exist, different conceptions will arise.
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Nevertheless, we must write maintainable code—and that is just.
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Just code is defined by at least two obligations: an obligation to time.
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When I work on exercises with Ruby, I have no obligation to time when I am playing around.
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But in a professional setting, the code you write must last and function over time.
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Over time, requirements change: user expectations or technology advances.
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That means just code must recognize that things will change.
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Sandi Metz highlights that design is more about preserving changeability than achieving perfection.
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This involves naming, organizing, and pulling things into abstractions when appropriate.
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The reason we engage in this is that our code is dynamic and subject to change.
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The second obligation is that the code is not just for you; it's for others.
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Think about your obligations to future developers who will read your code.
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It’s the most selfish way of thinking—you’ll have to reread your code after six months.
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You have an obligation to the people coming after you.
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Writing just code satisfies that obligation.
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Avoiding unjust code is essential; we don’t want to be in that situation.
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You’ll find that writing code that is changeable and accessible to others fulfills your obligations to your community.
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Reflecting on this can help evaluate your life: am I navigating obligations to those around me?
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This could be a time of growth for you in virtue.
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The last virtue is wisdom.
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What does wisdom have to do with coding?
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Wisdom often comes from reflection.
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Confucius said we can learn wisdom through three methods: reflection (the noblest), imitation (the easiest), and experience (the bitterest).
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Reflection for engineers often involves writing, reading, and studying.
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I hope those working as engineers carve out time for reflection.
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How many of you make time for reflection? It’s crucial.
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The second method, imitation, occurs often during pair programming or code reviews.
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This is an effective way to gain wisdom.
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The third is through personal experience, which comes with pain and suffering.
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Many of us pride ourselves on learning through that experience.
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Confucius illustrates that learning through experience is often the hardest.
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Uncle Bob mentions design patterns as well-worn solutions to common problems, illustrating how wisdom functions.
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This demonstrates wisdom: applying learned patterns to avoid past mistakes.
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So ask yourself: how are you growing in wisdom?
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What is your plan for growing wisdom, whether through reflection or imitation?
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Over the years, we’ll gain experience, but we need to be intentional.
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Who do we want to imitate? Who do we want to be in life?
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Reflect on your relationships with those who inspire you.
00:19:00.560
These questions arise as we reflect on wisdom in engineering.
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But Abraham, I just want to code.
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I know; I understand.
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Today, we reviewed the four classical virtues: self-control, courage, justice, and wisdom.
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These can apply to us as engineers and as people.
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This journey of virtue can be summed up by a few questions: who am I? Who ought I to become? How should I get there?
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When you think about TDD in your life, test yourself—how can you improve?
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For myself, I wanted to grow in courage—so I set a goal to ask more questions at work.
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Initially, I failed at this, but with time, I began to pass by consistently engaging.
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I surrounded myself with comfortable, knowledgeable peers, asking questions to learn.
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That’s what I mean by evaluating your soul through TDD.
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Be brutally honest about your flaws and how to address them.
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Darth Vader makes me consider a lack of tests in our lives; it’s disturbing.
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Many people balk at growing in virtue due to shame.
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Shame contrasts with guilt—it’s an emotion of feeling bad about yourself.
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This creates an internal narrative: 'You’re not good enough; you won’t succeed.'
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Shame stops us from embarking on a journey of growth because we fear discomfort.
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This narrative is pervasive and keeps us from seeking improvements.
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Criticism can feel like an anchor weighing us down, hindering growth.
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Yet with the right mindset, criticism can transform into a buoy that lifts us up.
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Embracing growth opportunities can lead us on an adventure, refining our character.
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The blues came from the struggle and oppression that generated music.
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Ralph Ellison describes it as an impulse to keep painful experiences alive.
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This embraces the painful details and transforms them into lyricism.
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In making character from our vulnerabilities, we can transcend those experiences.
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This encourages us not only to become better coders but ultimately better people.
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I hope this conversation about virtues and TDD resonates with you.
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You can distribute this journey in your way and reflect on these concepts.
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If you have questions or critiques, I’d love to hear them.
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My name is Abraham, and I work at Central in Chicago. We’re hiring, too!
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I appreciate getting this opportunity to speak to you.
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Now, I’ll open the floor for any questions you may have.
00:22:52.560
You all just want to code? That’s understandable.
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Thank you for listening, and thanks for attending!
