Learning Functional Data Structures and Algorithms

Higher level of abstraction

FP allows us to work at a higher level of abstraction. Abstraction is selective ignorance. The world we know of runs on abstractions. If we say, "Give me sweet condensed milk frozen with embedded dry fruits' someone might really have a hard time understanding it. Instead, just say "ice-cream"! Aha! It just falls into place and everyone is happy.

Abstractions are everywhere. An airplane is an abstraction, so is a sewing machine or a train. When we wish to travel by train, we buy a ticket, board the train, and get off at the destination. We really don't worry about how the train functions. We simply can't be expected to deal with all the intricacies of a train engine. As long as it serves our purpose, we ignore details ...