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Jepsen

Posted on • Originally published at networkspirits.com

Object-Oriented vs Functional: Why Your Ego Needs Refactoring

#programming #ego #functional

Originally published at Network Spirits

Think about the difference between object-oriented and functional programming. One bundles data with behavior, the other treats everything as transformations. One maintains state, the other stays stateless.

Your ego is object-oriented. And that's the problem.

The Object-Oriented Ego

In OOP, you create objects that bundle data with methods:

class Car {
  constructor() {
    this.color = 'red';
    this.speed = 0;
    this.fuel = 100;
  }

  accelerate() {
    if (this.fuel > 0) {
      this.speed += 10;
      this.fuel -= 5;
    }
  }

  // Protects internal state
  validateSpeed(newSpeed) {
    return newSpeed >= 0 && newSpeed <= 200;
  }
}
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Your ego works exactly the same way:

class Ego {
  constructor() {
    this.beliefs = new Map([
      ['smart', true],
      ['programmer', true],
      ['good_at_math', false]
    ]);
    this.defenses = ['deflect', 'rationalize', 'blame_others'];
  }

  handleCriticism(feedback) {
    // Protects existing beliefs
    if (this.threatensBeliefs(feedback)) {
      return this.activateDefense();
    }
    return this.minimizeResponse(feedback);
  }

  // Resists change to maintain consistency
  updateBelief(key, value) {
    if (this.beliefs.has(key)) {
      // Only accept changes that don't threaten core identity
      return this.beliefs.get(key);
    }
  }
}
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Just like rigid OOP code, your ego:

  • Bundles data (beliefs) with behavior (reactions)
  • Maintains state across interactions
  • Resists refactoring to protect its properties
  • Creates defensive methods to handle threats

The Functional Alternative

Functional programming uses pure functions instead:

// Pure function - same input always produces same output
const processInput = (situation, context) => {
  // No stored state, no side effects
  const analysis = analyzeSituation(situation);
  const response = generateResponse(analysis, context);
  return response;
};

// No defensive mechanisms needed
const handleFeedback = (feedback, currentSkills) => {
  const relevantPoints = extractValue(feedback);
  const learningOpportunities = identifyGaps(relevantPoints, currentSkills);
  return createActionPlan(learningOpportunities);
};

// Adaptable - can handle any input
const processChallenge = (challenge) => {
  return pipe(
    analyzeContext,
    generateOptions,
    evaluateOutcomes,
    selectBestResponse
  )(challenge);
};
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Refactoring Your Mental Architecture

Here's what changes when you think functionally about yourself:

Instead of:

// OOP Ego approach
const handleMathProblem = (problem) => {
  if (this.beliefs.get('good_at_math') === false) {
    return this.avoidProblem(problem);
  }
}
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Try:

// Functional approach
const handleMathProblem = (problem, currentKnowledge) => {
  const requiredConcepts = analyzeProblem(problem);
  const gaps = findKnowledgeGaps(requiredConcepts, currentKnowledge);
  return gaps.length > 0 ? 
    createLearningPlan(gaps) : 
    solveProblem(problem);
};
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The Curry-Howard Connection

This connects to the Curry-Howard correspondence - the idea that logical propositions map directly to types in programming languages. Proving a theorem is equivalent to writing a correct program.

Your ego wants to maintain consistent beliefs about yourself, even when they're wrong. But functional thinking lets you treat each moment as a fresh computation:

// Ego approach: cached beliefs
const egoResponse = (situation) => {
  return this.cachedBeliefs.get(situation.type) || this.defaultDefense;
};

// Functional approach: fresh computation
const functionalResponse = (situation) => {
  return compose(
    generateResponse,
    analyzeContext,
    extractRelevantData
  )(situation);
};
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Practical Benefits

Reduced Cognitive Overhead:

// OOP Ego carries baggage
class EgoState {
  constructor() {
    this.pastFailures = [...];
    this.socialExpectations = [...];
    this.imageToProtect = {...};
    this.defenseMechanisms = [...];
  }
}

// Functional approach is stateless
const processCurrentSituation = (situation) => {
  // No baggage, just current inputs
  return handleSituation(situation);
};
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Better Adaptability:

// Fixed property
this.identity.mathAbility = false;

// Computed property
const currentMathAbility = (topic, effort, resources) => {
  return calculateLearningPotential(topic, effort, resources);
};
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The Fallback Function Pattern

Your sense of self is essentially a fallback function:

const handleExistentialComplexity = (overwhelmingInput) => {
  try {
    return processDirectly(overwhelmingInput);
  } catch (TooComplexError) {
    // Fallback: create simplified self-model
    return createEgoResponse(overwhelmingInput);
  }
};
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The ego isn't bad - it's a necessary fallback for handling complexity. But recognizing it as just a fallback function lets you choose when to use it versus when to compute fresh responses.

Refactoring Exercise

  • Am I responding from cached beliefs or fresh analysis?
  • What would a pure function do with this input?
  • How can I process this situation without dragging in irrelevant state?

The goal isn't to eliminate the ego entirely - even functional programs need some state management. It's to recognize when you're running on defaults versus when you're computing fresh responses to the actual situation in front of you.

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