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docs(drafts): expand abstract and add exploration directions to when-not-to-test

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- Enhanced the abstract to emphasize practical wisdom in choosing not to test.
- Added a new section with possible directions for the article, including Aristotelian angles, opportunity costs, illusion of control, negative impacts of testing, and moral dimensions.
- Removed template footer notes.
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Gregory Gauthier 2026-04-07 17:07:29 +01:00
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articles/drafts/when-not-to-test.md
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@ -4,11 +4,20 @@ date: 2026-04-07
topics: [philosophy, craft] topics: [philosophy, craft]
related: [] related: []
abstract: > abstract: >
How do you decide when not to test something? This article offers some food for thought. Most of our energy in testing goes into arguing about *how* we should test, or *what* we should test more of. Almost none goes into the far more dangerous and consequential question: **When should we deliberately choose not to test?** This is not a question of laziness or corner-cutting. It is a question of *phronesis* — practical wisdom about where our limited attention, time, and cognitive resources are best spent, and where they are actively wasted or even harmful.
--- ---
# When Not To Test # When Not To Test
### Possible directions we can explore
Here are some rich veins I see in this topic (pick any that resonate, or suggest others):
1. **The Aristotelian angle**: Testing as *techne* (skill) versus the *telos* of the product. When does testing become a distraction from the actual purpose of the software?
2. **Opportunity cost and attention**: Every test you run consumes attention that could be spent on higher-risk or higher-value areas. When is testing *itself* a form of technical debt?
3. **The illusion of control**: The belief that “if we just test everything” we will be safe. When does testing become a security blanket rather than a truth-seeking practice?
4. **When the act of testing changes the system negatively** (performance, deployment risk, team behaviour, etc.).
5. **Moral/philosophical dimension**: Is there a kind of intellectual cowardice in testing too much? Are we sometimes testing because we’re afraid to ship and be judged?
## Introduction ## Introduction
(Opening provocation or observation goes here.) (Opening provocation or observation goes here.)
@ -21,5 +30,3 @@ abstract: >
(Grounded reflection — no generic summary or call to action.) (Grounded reflection — no generic summary or call to action.)
---
This is a template. Replace or delete sections as needed. Keep front-matter consistent with the standard in GROK.md.