The Art of Specification
The machine executes what the mind specifies. This month builds the skill of externalizing thought with precision—so any other mind, human or artificial, can understand your intent.
The purpose of abstraction is not to be vague, but to create a new semantic level in which one can be absolutely precise.
Prerequisites
Month 2 builds directly on Month 1. You should be comfortable with:
- *Reading and tracing code execution
- *Finding bugs and explaining what went wrong
- *Explaining code in your own words
Not there yet? Start with Month 1
What Month 1 revealed
Month 1 taught you to verify code written by another mind. You read it, traced it, tested it, found bugs. You asked: Does this match the specification?
You learned something deeper: the verifying mind must understand code deeply to catch errors and debug. Verification isn't passive judgment. It requires genuine comprehension.
Month 2 flips the direction. You'll now write the specifications that others verify against. And you'll discover something Month 1 hints at: the gaps between what you thought and what you wrote reveal more about your thinking than reading others' code ever could.
The shift isn't just from reading to writing. It's from judging another mind's execution to examining your own intent.
Time commitment
Same rhythm as Month 1: short readings (~45 min each) with substantial practice (5-10 hours). Budget 6-7 hours per week.
~3 hours reading
4 lessons total
~22 hours practice
47 exercises + capstone
The shift
Month 1 taught you to read what other minds wrote. Month 2 flips the direction: now you learn to externalize your own thought so clearly that another mind can execute it.
Month 1
Read code
Understand what another mind intended
Month 2
Write specifications
Make your intent clear to another mind
Weekly breakdown
Week 1: Specification Anatomy
Week 2: Decomposition
Week 3: Edge Cases
The Analytical Engine has no pretensions whatever to originate anything. It can do whatever we know how to order it to perform.
Ready to start?
Begin with the lesson, then observe the Fishbowl, then practice with exercises. Each week builds on the last.