Is Python a Zen language?

[Terry Reedy]

"John Coleman" <jcoleman at franciscan.edu> wrote in message 
news:1140876556.080086.252390 at e56g2000cwe.googlegroups.com...

an interesting statement and question.
...
> So (assuming my classification makes sense)  which is Python? The
> emphasis on simplicity and the beginner-friendly nature of it seems to
> put it in the tool category. On the other hand, the emphasis on the ONE
> TRUE WAY to accomplish most tasks and the tendency for participants in
> this newsgroup to criticize one another's code as being "unpythonic"
> seems to move it towards the Zen category.
,,,

An 'emphasis on the ONE TRUE WAY' would not be pythonic ;-)
Sorry you got that misimpression.

For the Zen of Python, type 'import this' at an interactive prompt.
One of the lines is

'There should be one-- and preferably only one --obvious way to do it.'

This is intentionally more nuanced, and practical, than your paraphrase.

I agree with the 'both' answer.

Terry Jan Reedy