---
title: Beginner's Mind
teaser: We all want to be experts, but a fresh perspective can help an experienced
  mind learn new tricks.
tags: playbook,happiness,productivity
author: Ian C. Anderson
published_on: 2014-10-27
---

I'm a Ruby programmer. I enjoy the language, and I credit it for revitalizing my
curiosity and interest in writing software for a living. I'm constantly learning
more about Ruby and Rails every day, but I have a solid grasp of the language
and platform.

I've recently started to learn Haskell because I'd like to contribute to
thoughtbot's Haskell projects and expand my mind.

Haskell is fundamentally different than Ruby. It's purely functional and has
strong static typing, while Ruby has dynamic typing and is more object-oriented
than functional. My functional programming skills are very limited, so many of
the functional concepts are as new to me as the Haskell language itself.

Right now the Haskell universe feels mysterious and vast, which is exciting and
motivating for someone who loves to learn.

## Endless possibilities

> In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there
> are few.
>
> <cite>
>   Shunryu Suzuki,
>   [Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind][zen-mind]
> </cite>

Suzuki's quote warns against becoming close-minded as more of your topic of
study becomes revealed to you. As I expand my toolkit for solving problems in
Ruby, I have to be careful not to become complacent with my choice of
techniques. I should always be looking for a better way, which requires
_believing_ that there might a better way.

## Paradox of human expertise

> Paradoxically, the very underpinning of expertise can entail degradation in
> performance as well, such as tunnel vision and biases.
>
> <cite>
>   Itiel E. Dror,
>   [The paradox of human expertise: Why experts get it wrong][paradox]
> </cite>

With increased knowledge come more assumptions about how things work. These
biases can be useful, as they enable experts to efficiently process information
and solve problems. However, "default" solutions can prevent the expert from
considering a more appropriate solution to a given problem. The expert's brain
specializes in its field, which is to say that the mind becomes more narrow and
rigid.

## The value of mental agility

> The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.
>
> <cite>Albert Einstein</cite>

I'm reminded of thoughtbot's [Research Trello
board](http://playbook.thoughtbot.com/#research). We use this as a place to
experiment with changes to our processes and technology stacks. We're
opinionated about which tools we use and how we use them, but we're also willing
to change them when something better comes along. Constantly challenging our
assumptions using the scientific method ensures that we use the best tools and
techniques to solve problems, both today and into the future. In technology
fields where change is inevitable, this mental agility is a very valuable asset.

## Adding to your bag of tricks

> ...in some cases, by applying the
> power of monads wisely, we can untangle nested callbacks, make parts of our code
> more reusable, and generally make our programs better.
>
> <cite>
>   Tom Stuart,
>   [Refactoring Ruby with Monads][refactor-monads]
> </cite>

A [monad](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monad_(functional_programming)) is a
functional programming abstraction essential in Haskell. [Tom's
talk](http://codon.com/refactoring-ruby-with-monads) explores 3 practical
examples that use monads to turn awkward Ruby snippets into elegant solutions.
It's clear that Tom's code benefits from his experience with functional
programming. He shows that it's possible to borrow foreign concepts to solve
everyday problems, while keeping an idiomatic Ruby style.

Will I ever be a Haskell expert? Will I work full-time on a Haskell project?
[Maybe](https://thoughtbot.com/blog/if-you-gaze-into-nil-nil-gazes-also-into-you),
but if not, I won't consider it a wasted exercise to learn Haskell. I am adding
to my bag of tricks, so I can attack problems from different angles. When I
implement a feature in a Rails app, I will think about whether a functional
approach would be more appropriate than my usual OO-leaning code.

Striving to be an expert is a worthwhile cause. The trick is to bring in more
knowledge and experience, while continuing to search for alternate approaches
that are better in some way or for some specific case.

[zen-mind]: http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Mind-Beginners-Shunryu-Suzuki/dp/1590308492
[paradox]: http://cognitiveconsultantsinternational.com/Dror_PB_paradoxical_human_expertise.pdf
[refactor-monads]: http://codon.com/refactoring-ruby-with-monads