Python and Freedom and Bias
Thursday, May 23
14:45 - 15:15
Guido van Rossum stated that “Python is an experiment in how much freedom programmers need”. Do you wonder what the implications of such freedom are?
In this talk, we will look at the Zen of Python and draw meaning from it, looking at the some blind spots such freedom can create.
Guido van Rossum, the creator of our beloved programming language, states that “Python is an experiment in how much freedom programmers need”. But have you ever wondered what the implications of such freedom are?
In this talk, we will have a look at the Python “built-in guidelines” on how to write pythonic code, also known as The Zen of Python, written by Tim Peters. I will use concepts present on the book Gödel, Escher, Bach: An eternal Golden Braid (written by Douglas Hofstadter) to explain meaning and relate it to Freedom (both in life and coding) and the human nature of biased perspective.
The talk is structured as follows: 1) Intro to the Zen of Python 2) The Search for Meaning, an Intro to Gödel, Escher, Bach 3) Freedom and our responsibility to choose 4) The blind spot experiment 5) Summary and Conclusion
Laís Carvalho
Laís Carvalho is an active member of the Python community. She was the first black female board member of Python Ireland, and a core-organiser of HumbleData, a non-profit organisation focused on mentoring underrepresented minorities on Python and Data Science. Currently, Laís is the only female board member of the EuroPython Society. Seasoned speaker and ex-developer advocate, Laís is passionate about leadership, volunteering and Python. She works as a developer at Workday Inc. building monitoring tools.
Lais is excited about food, documentation, and communication. Her main core values are courage and kindness.