My take on tests is that they serve two purposes: 1. As a security system for your code 2. As a tool for thought, prompting the application of inverse problem

My take on tests is that they serve two purposes: 1. As a security system for your code 2. As a tool for thought, prompting the application of inverse problem solving Both of these have costs and benefits. If you consider the metaphor of the security system, you could secure your house at every entry point, purchase motion sensors, heat detectors, a body guard, etc. etc. If you're Jeff Bezos maybe all of that makes sense. If you're a normal person it's prohibitively expensive and probably provides value that is nowhere near proportional to its cost. You also have to be aware that there is no such thing as perfect security. You could buy the most expensive system on earth and something still might get through. So security is about risk, probability, tradeoffs, and intelligent investment. It's never going to be perfect. Inverse thinking is an incredibly powerful tool for problem solving, but it's not always necessary or useful. I do think if you haven't practiced something like TDD, it's great to start by over applying it so that you can get in the habit, see the benefit, and then slowly scale back as you better understand the method's pros and cons. At the end of the day, any practice or discipline should be tied to values. If you don't know WHY you're doing it and what you're getting out of it, then why are you doing it at all? Maybe as an exploratory exercise, but beyond the learning phase you should only do it if you understand why you're doing it.