The point Victor is trying to make is that the assorted leaders are saying "Learn to program because we need people to know how to program". But the more important question is why do we need people to learn how to program. Maybe programming is the best way to achieve those ends for now, but learning programming because someone said you should learn programming falls into the same hole that much of our education system does.
Instead, we need to keep an eye on the real goal, understand why we are doing what we are doing. Maybe programming, as it is now, is it. Some number of years down the line, there will be a better tool for achieving whatever your end goal is, and an individual or societal worship of programming will only blind people from finding that.
Instead, we need to keep an eye on the real goal, understand why we are doing what we are doing. Maybe programming, as it is now, is it. Some number of years down the line, there will be a better tool for achieving whatever your end goal is, and an individual or societal worship of programming will only blind people from finding that.