6be062506b
- 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.
33 lines
1.8 KiB
Markdown
33 lines
1.8 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: When Not To Test
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date: 2026-04-07
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topics: [philosophy, craft]
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related: []
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abstract: >
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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.
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---
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# When Not To Test
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### Possible directions we can explore
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Here are some rich veins I see in this topic (pick any that resonate, or suggest others):
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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?
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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?
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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?
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4. **When the act of testing changes the system negatively** (performance, deployment risk, team behaviour, etc.).
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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?
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## Introduction
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(Opening provocation or observation goes here.)
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## Main Argument
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(Develop the core idea, sustained analogy, or philosophical connection here.)
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## Conclusion
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(Grounded reflection — no generic summary or call to action.)
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