Date Created: 2025-03-30
By: 16BitMiker
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When my friend first introduced me to the essay “Prickles and Goo” by Kevin Simler, I didn’t expect it to resonate so deeply. At first, it sounded like an abstract philosophical metaphor—a quirky way to talk about personality. But as we explored the concept together, it clicked. It gave vocabulary to something I’d been sensing but hadn’t yet articulated: the tension between structure and fluidity in how we live, think, and relate to the world.
The idea comes from Alan Watts, famously describing two types of people: "Prickles"—logical, structured, analytical—and "Goo"—intuitive, emotional, interconnected. Simler builds on this by exploring how these modes of being influence our personal identities and social dynamics.
This balance between precision and pliability turns out to be a powerful framework for reflection—and one I’ve found incredibly intriguing.
Understanding the prickles and goo within yourself isn't just a fun personality quiz—it’s an ongoing, strategic process of identity construction. Here's how this duality can guide that process:
These are your solid foundations: your principles, routines, and the internal logic that keeps your world coherent.
Prickles love rules, patterns, and clearly defined roles.
They offer a sense of control and predictability, especially in professional or high-stakes environments.
🧠 Example: If you’re a sysadmin or a Perl developer, you might find deep satisfaction in the repeatable logic of your scripts and configurations. That’s prickly energy at work—“if this, then that,” in both code and life.
Goo represents adaptability, empathy, and openness to change. It’s the part of you that says, “Maybe there’s another way.”
Goo lets you explore new perspectives, collaborate more fluidly, and accept ambiguity.
It’s not soft in a weak sense—it’s soft like water, able to flow around obstacles and reshape itself.
👥 Example: In social contexts—or even in creative coding—goo lets you read the room, respond to uncertainty, and experiment without fear of breaking the mold.
Your optimal identity isn’t 100% prickles or full-on goo. It’s about finding the right mix for your goals and context.
Too many prickles? You risk rigidity, burnout, or being perceived as inflexible.
Too much goo? You may lose sight of your values or become overly self-sacrificing.
🔄 Think of it like dynamic typing in Perl: the system is flexible, but you still need good structure and discipline to avoid chaos.
Zen philosophy often nudges us toward goo—dissolving the boundaries of the “self” and embracing present-moment awareness.
It’s not about erasing who you are but expanding your sense of identity.
Letting go of rigid definitions can be freeing, especially when you’re stuck in a loop of self-judgment or overanalysis.
📿 Whether through meditation or just unplugging from the terminal for a while, this practice invites a gentler, more connected approach to being.
Sometimes it takes a shake-up—an intense experience, a moment of vulnerability, or even a philosophical rabbit hole—to realize your identity isn’t as fixed as you thought.
These are moments when the goo surfaces: when you realize you don’t have to be the same person you were yesterday.
They’re also opportunities to reconfigure your “prickles” with more intention.
🌌 Think of it like a system reboot with a new kernel—same machine, but now it supports new features and better memory handling.
Your prickly traits might make you dependable and respected, while gooiness can make you approachable and empathetic.
Some roles demand more prickles—like maintaining system uptime or defending core principles.
Others benefit from goo—like collaborative design, mentoring, or navigating open-source communities.
📦 In group dynamics, knowing when to be prickly or gooey is an underrated skill. It’s like version control for your personality: sometimes you commit, sometimes you merge.
Choose deliberately which aspects of your self should be firm and which can be flexible.
Moral values? Probably best kept prickly.
Aesthetic preferences, careers, hobbies? Allow some goo to flow in.
🎨 Example: You might have a strict ethical stance on data privacy (prickles), but be open to exploring different tech stacks or artistic inspirations (goo).
Embracing goo can lead to more fluid relationships and self-compassion—but it might come at a cost.
Society often rewards prickliness: clarity, certainty, decisiveness.
Goo can be misunderstood as indecision or weakness, even when it’s actually a deeper form of wisdom.
✅ The trick is to know your audience and environment—and to own your choices, whether they lean hard or soft.
Thanks to my friend’s suggestion, “Prickles and Goo” has become more than just a thought experiment. It’s a lens I now use to assess how I react, grow, and interact. Whether I’m debugging a recursive Perl function or navigating a tough conversation, I ask myself: am I being prickly here because I need control? Or is this a moment where goo might serve me better?
This duality isn’t about choosing sides—it’s about calibration. And the more we understand our own balance, the better equipped we are to live authentically, adapt gracefully, and connect meaningfully.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance – explores similar dualities in thought
🧭 Whether you're scripting in Bash or contemplating the nature of self, remember: a good balance of prickles and goo makes for a resilient, responsive life.