We spend most of our times obsessing about the actual act of programming. Is this method name too long? Should I refactor this code? How do I fix this bug? However, sometimes, large gains can be made by drawing in experience from totally different fields.
I think there's a lot a programmer can learn from the study of epistemology, logic, metaphysics, moral and political philosophy, and aesthetics. In this talk, I'll give an overview of a bunch of interesting thinkers, philosophical problems, and how they relate to the worlds of software development, open source, and startups.
Yup I totally agree. I often get caught up in logic traps and too much thinking, which leads to fatigue. I wish I was able to go to your talk. Hopefully you might put it up on Youtube or something later? I think programmers are coming to this realization, hence things like Lightable (http://www.chris-granger.com/2012/04/12/light-table---a-new-ide-concept/)