Brett Estrade (OODLER)
When Larry Wall revealed to the Perl faithful in 1996 1 that the "Three Virtues of a Perl Programmer" were: laziness, impatience, and hubris, he also clearly described what he meant. And what Larry meant was in stark contrast to the actual meanings of the terms he chose to use. Unfortunately today only the words remain, while what he actually meant has been lost to the sands of time. Worst of all, the terms are touted as virtues, when in fact, they are objectively all vices. The Perl Community aims to correct this situation by restoring focus on the actual virtues described by Perl's creator, Larry Wall.
Aristotle, the ancient Greek philosopher, believed that virtue is the key to a good life. He taught that living with balance and practicing moral virtues, like courage and wisdom, leads to true happiness and fulfillment.
The distinction between virtue and vice stands within a long and coherent moral tradition. The earliest structured accounts appear in the Wisdom literature of Scripture—especially the Book of Wisdom and the proverbs attributed to Solomon—which identify dispositions that lead to flourishing and warn against those that end in ruin. These teachings outline early forms of the cardinal virtues, emphasizing prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude as foundations of a well-ordered life.
Building on this early moral framework, Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics later offered a philosophical systematization of virtue as the “mean” between extremes, grounded in right reason and ordered toward human flourishing. His account did not arise in isolation but refined and formalized patterns of virtue that earlier wisdom traditions had already recognized.
These classical insights were subsequently taken up and deepened by Christian thinkers. Pope St. Gregory the Great enumerated the “seven deadly sins,” framing vice as a distortion of proper desire, and medieval writers paired these sins with corresponding virtues. The resulting synthesis was expressed culturally in the codes of chivalry, particularly within England, where the knightly ethos blended courage with mercy, strength with humility, loyalty with justice, and honour with service.
This English chivalric inheritance carried forward into modern civic education. In the early twentieth century, Sir Robert Baden-Powell formulated the original Scout Law as a consciously modern expression of these medieval virtues. His ten points—calling the Scout to be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind to animals, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, and clean in thought, word, and deed—sought to translate the moral backbone of the English knight into the civic character of the rising generation. When Scouting crossed the Atlantic, these English-rooted virtues helped inform the emerging American emphasis on community service, personal responsibility, rugged initiative, and practical idealism. In this way, England’s longstanding virtue tradition contributed quietly but meaningfully to some of America’s most admirable civic traits.
Across this entire lineage, one theme remains constant: virtues require an orientation toward objective truth. Without that grounding, even noble qualities collapse into their own distortions—courage into recklessness, prudence into overthinking, and order into dogmatism. Virtue without truth loses its form; truth without virtue loses its force.
Underlying both the classical and modern accounts of virtue is a shared assumption: virtues only function correctly when oriented toward what is true. Aristotle held that virtue requires right reason; Chesterton warned that a virtue cut loose from its proper telos (ends or aim) becomes not merely deficient, but dangerous. A virtue, after all, is a power—and power without truth becomes misdirected energy.
In programming as in moral life, truth acts as the stabilizing reference point. Practical Wisdom requires truthful understanding of the problem at hand; without it, even diligent reasoning veers into rationalization. Spiritedness needs truth to distinguish righteous conviction from mere passion or personal annoyance. Good Order depends on truth to prevent structure from becoming arbitrary rigidity. When truth is neglected, each virtue inevitably “goes mad,” pursuing an internal logic disconnected from reality.
The Perl community, like any collaborative culture, relies on shared truths—about how code works, how systems behave, and how people communicate. These truths are not matters of preference but of objective structure. Virtue is therefore not simply a matter of intention or temperament; it is a matter of alignment. When virtues are anchored in truth, they guide us toward clarity, cooperation, and flourishing. When that anchor is lost, even our best qualities pull us off course.
As noted, the concept of virtues is very old, dating back to Nicomachean Ethics. Aristotle identified virtues as character traits that enable individuals to live a good life and achieve eudaimonia (flourishing or happiness). Examples include courage, temperance, and justice. Virtue was seen as the "golden mean" between two extremes (e.g., courage is the balance between recklessness and cowardice).
| Excess (Extreme) | Virtue | Deficiency (Extreme) |
|---|---|---|
| Recklessness | Courage | Cowardice |
| Overindulgence | Temperance | Insensibility |
| Prodigality (Wastefulness) | Generosity | Stinginess |
| Boastfulness | Truthfulness | Self-deprecation |
| Buffoonery | Wit | Boorishness |
| Obsequiousness | Friendliness | Quarrelsomeness |
| Vulgarity | Magnificence | Pettiness |
| Vanity | Magnanimity (Greatness of Soul) | Pusillanimity (Smallness of Soul) |
| Laziness | Practical Wisdom (Prudence) | Cowardice |
| Impatience | Spiritedness | Laziness |
| Hubris | Good Order | Pettiness |
Aristotle’s virtues, such as courage, justice, and temperance emphasize achieving a balanced and flourishing life through reason. These ideals directly influenced formal Christian virtues, particularly through St. Thomas Aquinas' prolific writings, which integrated them with faith, hope, and charity as moral principles for spiritual growth. For example, the medieval codes of chivalry reflected this synthesis, urging knights to embody classical virtues like courage, meekness, humility, and compassion, as seen in their oaths to protect the weak and uphold justice.
Here we describe what Larry Wall meant in correct, virtuous, and perhaps chivalrous, terms.
Unlike the vice of laziness, this virtue refers to practical wisdom, or prudence. It involves the ability to make sound decisions and take appropriate actions based on understanding, experience, and ethical considerations. This aligns closely with Larry's definition of laziness, summarized as: "...the quality that makes you go to great effort to reduce overall energy expenditure. It makes you write labor-saving programs that other people will find useful and document what you wrote so you don't have to answer so many questions about it."
Accounting for the passionate aspect of human nature, this encompasses emotions like anger, righteous indignation, and the drive to achieve justice or excellence. Who among us has not experienced this in some form, particularly during heated online discussions? This aligns well with Larry's definition of impatience, summarized as: "...the anger you feel when the computer is being lazy. This makes you write programs that don't just react to your needs but actually anticipate them—or at least pretend to."
Far from harmful pride, this refers to maintaining good order and governance, both in societal contexts and personal conduct. Applied to programming, it signifies creating well-structured, organized, and maintainable code. This aligns well with Larry's definition of hubris, summarized as: “...the quality that makes you write (and maintain) programs that other people won’t want to say bad things about.”
The classical Greek virtues of Phronesis (practical wisdom), Thumos (spirited courage), and Eunomia (good or harmonious order) defined the character of the ideal citizen. Rooted in the life of the polis, these virtues were action-oriented, oriented toward maintaining civic balance, excellence in judgment, and readiness to act in defense of justice and collective well-being. Yet as societies have evolved—particularly with the emergence of networked, decentralized, and digital modes of collaboration— these ancient frameworks alone no longer suffice. The open-source movement, where governance is informal and authority often implicit, has prompted the emergence of a complementary ethical framework.
In 2, Larry Wall further articulated three virtues of a great programmer: Diligence, Patience, and Humility. These are not technical rules but character traits—habits of mind and behavior essential to sustainable, productive participation in shared intellectual labor. Notably, these virtues are often self-directed and interpersonal rather than outwardly political or heroic. When examined alongside classical civic virtues, they do not contradict them, but rather enhance them—modulating their assertiveness with reflection, softening their rigidity with empathy, and balancing their ambition with long-term care.
Wall’s virtues can be interpreted as augmentative operators. They do not replace the classical Greek ideals but transform and ground them for application in collaborative contexts. Their role is not merely additive but synergistic: they enable classical virtues to function meaningfully in modern contexts, especially where authority is decentralized and consensus is valued over command.
| Greek Virtue | Augmented by | Contribution of Wall's Virtue |
|---|---|---|
| Phronesis (Practical Wisdom) | Diligence | Activates judgment through persistent and careful action; bridges theory and execution. |
| Thumos (Courageous Will) | Patience | Restrains impulsiveness, converts reaction into sustained resilience and thoughtful agency. |
| Eunomia (Harmonious Order) | Humility | Opens space for mutual respect and shared authorship; discourages domination. |
In this comparative table, we can see how each open-source virtue enhances its classical counterpart by rooting it in a practice-oriented and collaborative mindset. Diligence makes wisdom operational; patience makes courage sustainable; humility makes order inclusive.
Combining these dual traditions yields a more resilient and adaptable ethical framework. Where Greek virtues often center on decisive action in a civic sphere, open-source virtues orient toward longevity, community stewardship, and ethical restraint. The synthesis invites not just right action, but right process.
| Ethical Dimension | Greek Root | Wall's Modifier | Resulting Synthesis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knowing | Phronesis | Diligence | Active Wisdom: persistent insight tested through practice. |
| Acting | Thumos | Patience | Disciplined Courage: resolve tempered by endurance and timing. |
| Ordering | Eunomia | Humility | Collaborative Order: authority shaped through shared responsibility. |
Phronesis is the Greek conception of wise deliberation applied to practical life. It presumes experience, situational awareness, and moral clarity. However, without the habit of follow-through, even wise judgment can remain inert. Wall’s diligence injects a vital quality into phronesis: the determination to act, not once, but persistently. In a codebase, as in life, it is diligence that refines understanding, uncovers edge cases, and brings clarity to complexity. Active wisdom—phronesis enhanced by diligence—is wisdom made real in repetitive, conscientious labor. It resists premature optimization and values maintenance as much as invention.
Thumos denotes spiritedness: the fire of the soul that asserts, resists, and protects. It is tied to courage, honor, and drive. Yet left untempered, thumos can lead to rashness or arrogance. Patience reframes courage as endurance rather than bravado. It is not a denial of energy but its distillation. The open-source contributor often faces invisible work, slow feedback cycles, and interpersonal disagreement. Patience empowers the will to persist not in domination but in consistency. It allows contributors to disengage from ego, listen deeply, and re-enter the arena with fresh clarity. Disciplined courage arises when thumos and patience cohere.
Eunomia, literally "good law," is the virtue of civic order and well-structured community. It promotes harmony, proportionality, and accountability. However, in both ancient and modern contexts, order has risked rigidity or coercion. Humility softens this. In Wall’s framework, humility does not imply passivity, but rather epistemic modesty—the recognition that one's code, vision, or solution is partial. It affirms the value of others' insights and invites inclusive participation. Where eunomia organizes power through law, humility decentralizes it through acknowledgment of interdependence. The result is collaborative order: not a blueprint imposed, but a structure evolved in common.
The synthesis of Wall’s and the Greeks’ virtues yields a contemporary framework for ethical action—especially in domains where power is fluid, contribution is voluntary, and consensus is negotiated. It is not a replacement of heroic ideals, but a recalibration. Classical virtues teach us to act with clarity, honor, and civic purpose. Open-source virtues remind us to act with care, discipline, and the humility of uncertainty.
This convergence is especially significant in today's digital and institutional landscapes. Many collaborative projects—whether software, science, or civil society—depend not just on brilliance, but on patience. Not just on leadership, but on listening. Not just on vision, but on maintenance. A contributor who brings both phronesis and diligence can navigate ambiguity; one who carries thumos and patience can resist burnout and rage; one who embraces eunomia and humility can shape fair systems without authoritarianism.
In this light, the three classical virtues can be seen as vertical axes—orienting us toward noble ideals and external responsibility—while Wall’s virtues serve as horizontal stabilizers, grounding our efforts in sustainable, interpersonal practice. Together, they form an ethical gyroscope for civic-technological engagement.
G. K. Chesterton observed in 3 that virtues become most dangerous when they “go mad”—when they are isolated from one another and pursued without balance. The same applies to the virtues proposed here. Practical Wisdom, Spiritedness, and Good Order are genuine strengths, but when unmoored from humility, patience, and diligence, they can cause more harm than the very vices they replace.
Practical Wisdom becomes harmful when it collapses into endless deliberation. Instead of enabling good judgment, it can turn into:
A lazy programmer merely slows things down; a “madly prudent” one may prevent progress entirely.
Spiritedness fuels advocacy and resilience, but without patience it becomes destructive. Unbalanced thumos often shows up as:
A disengaged contributor causes small problems; an over-inflamed one can fracture a project.
Good Order provides clarity and maintainability, but when detached from humility, it can rigidify into:
What begins as harmony becomes hostility toward experimentation—stifling the creativity Perl culture famously values.
Vices are obvious and self-limiting; distorted virtues appear righteous and thus justify greater harm. A programmer driven by “mad” prudence, spiritedness, or order may do damage not through neglect, but through an excess of moral confidence.
Balanced together, however, these virtues form a stable ethical foundation for sustainable, collaborative programming. The goal is not to restrain virtue but to ensure it remains whole.
The open-source movement is not only a technical phenomenon but a philosophical one. It invites a reevaluation of the virtues needed for ethical, durable participation in collective systems. Wall’s articulation of diligence, patience, and humility offers a valuable counterpoint to the more heroic, honor-bound virtues of classical thought. Rather than conflict, these traditions form a dialogue—between power and service, assertion and reflection, brilliance and care.
By combining ancient civic ethics with modern communal sensibilities, we arrive at a richer vision of moral character—one suited not only to citizens of the polis, but to stewards of the code, the commons, and the global civic body.
The following virtues enable individuals and groups to achieve eudaimonia—flourishing—universally, for the entire family of Perl programmers. The timeless and time-tested foundation for achieving this has always been, and will always be, based on exercising virtue. There are other virtues that could benefit the Perl Community as we move forward, but let us begin by correctly speaking about the first principles established by the creator of Perl. Thank you, Larry Wall!
|
|---|
| Replies are listed 'Best First'. | |
|---|---|
|
Re: Open Sourcing the Virtues of a Perl Programmer
by reisinge (Hermit) on Dec 05, 2025 at 14:34 UTC |