Does the other way really scale though? I mean, the "state of the art" is to have readable code everywhere. What readable really means is "have each component

Does the other way really scale though? I mean, the "state of the art" is to have readable code everywhere. What readable really means is "have each component defined in terms of the standard library". This involves a lot of repetition and a lot more code, with the advantage that any part of the program can be understood by a new programmer. The Lispy/Bottom Up way is to write a language, then solve your problem in terms of the language you just wrote. Only at the very low levels are you really dealing with standard library stuff. The advantages are obvious, but the disadvantage of this is you have to learn the DSL as well. Have you experienced both approaches?