Author here. After reading the comments I’m afraid my article didn’t communicate the main point clearly. The mental models suggested here are sweet, but:
It’s not about how to explain recursion or programming, it’s about explaining abstract and complex concepts via adopting to the listener’s worldview and letting them experiment to evolve that view.
It’s not about how to explain recursion or programming, it’s about explaining abstract and complex concepts via adopting to the listener’s worldview and letting them experiment to evolve that view.