I agree with your general point, but feel I should point out that this is possible in python using properties: class Int(object): def __init__(self,

I agree with your general point, but feel I should point out that this is possible in python using properties: class Int(object): def __init__(self, value): self.value = value @property def value(self): print("Accessing value") return self.value @value.setter def value(self, value): print("Setting value") self.value = value