I see where you're coming from. As I get older I keep seeing the same things reinvented, only with all-new problems (or even the same problems). That said, I in

I see where you're coming from. As I get older I keep seeing the same things reinvented, only with all-new problems (or even the same problems). That said, I invite you to consider two things: 1) Since this is going to happen regardless of how you feel about it, arguing that human beings "should" do something differently just leads to dissatisfaction on your part. I simply roll "cites prior work" and "compares to similar approaches" into my set of criteria for judging the utility of a work or idea. 2) There is inherent value for learners in revisiting familiar (to us) concepts on their own terms. If they get excited about learning something or producing something that has been around for decades, great. They don't diminish the other works by producing theirs. And sometimes there are kernels of something new. That said, I do require every engineer who wants to introduce some new piece of technology to do a "literature survey" as a means of teaching them how to think critically about problems.