2 Comments

I wonder about the response you got from writing about people not being capable of abstract thinking. Were the responses angry, and did they try to say the people are capable of it? I find it ironic that software developers are the ones that struggle with this as they are among the most fervent AI supporters. Their inability in this area sort of proves of point of us concerned about too much AI; people must not lose the ability to create, and imagine, and think. It seems only natural that if we turn these over to AI, we will lose the ability to come up with abstract thoughts.

Expand full comment

My impression is that not everyone is cut out to work in software development. And yet, due to the unprecedented convenience (i.e., ever rising demand for software developers coupled with low barrier to entry, high pay rates, and absence of any accountability), people are flocking to that profession.

Many people prefer to work with something concrete, something tangible. If it’s not a physical object (like, laying the bricks to make a wall), then people insist on having concrete lists. Like, step one, do this, step two, do that, etc.

Software development is not like that, and when someone points out to them that the only way to do a proper job is to work with abstractions and to be able to create new, unique abstractions, such people protest in anger. They feel threatened, they feel cornered, they feel that someone is going to unmask them and yank their cushy well paid job away from them.

Expand full comment