Abstraction

Creator
Creator
Seonglae Cho
Created
Created
2019 Dec 19 23:55
Editor
Edited
Edited
2025 Jul 7 18:21

If simplification is too engaging and story is too good, it can distort the truth

From the moment we can't handle the amount of knowledge and transform it into simpler forms, it can only stagnate
At the same time, Abstractions allow us to think efficiently, but who learn superficially will not succeed on difficult projects that involve multiple domains of expertise.
High level should not depend on low level. Both should depend on abstraction. Abstractions should not depend on details. Details should depend on abstraction
Higher understanding in any field requires the abstraction of the underlying knowledge, and it is important to know the relation between concepts and where they belong. This is why you become an expert when you know the relationships between concepts in your domain, rather than memorizing them in isolation.
Sometimes very attractive intuitions can make us forget important things and distort reality
Unlike those who can create abstractions that everyone can understand, people who try to appear smart and reach strange conclusions through abstraction and generalization are dangerous
Tooling is important for abstraction. Even when a concept is born conceptually, it might take a long time until actual changes occur. A prime example is
Linux Container
- while the concept of isolation itself has existed for a long time, it was
Docker
as an accessible tool that led to significant success and transformation.
Concepts like free will or moral responsibility are illusions not found in the physical world. We use these illusory concepts not because they are real, but because they are useful. Due to this utility, we abstract concepts but must not forget they are fantasies that don't accurately reflect reality. As layers of abstraction accumulate and become more complex, people often blur the relationship between concepts and reality. The ability to separate these without bias is a crucial element in logical thinking.
Abstraction Notion
 
 
 
  • A well-designed system will degrade into a badly designed system over time.
  • There is no fundamental upper limit on Software Complexity.
 
 

 

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