---
title: When Not To Test
date: 2026-04-07
topics: [philosophy, craft]
related: []
abstract: >
  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

### 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

(Opening provocation or observation goes here.)

## Main Argument

(Develop the core idea, sustained analogy, or philosophical connection here.)

## Conclusion

(Grounded reflection — no generic summary or call to action.)