Hacker News Reader

Like most of the entries in the article's silly list, this is not a "fallacy", formal nor informal; one does not invalidate a particular argument just by "thinking too much".

My favorite example is that Aristotle came to believe, through sound reasoning, men had more teeth than women. And then never bothered to count.

I've never checked if this story is true. But it sounds like something Aristotle would do, so I believe it. ;-P

I don't think you can think too much. But thinking un-aligned with reality gets bogged down sooner or later. Sadly it tends to be later with some of the more grandiose & expensive schemes people dream up for the rest of us.

"Analysis paralysis"

This is why deadlines are useful. The customer cares what was delivered, not how exquisitely sculpted my code was.

So the acme of skill is to nail the 80% of the challenge that is readily automated, eschew the yak shaving, and then maybe "polish the cannonball" if the problem comes 'round again.

Narrowing into a business / software delivery context is hardly addressing the objection.