It's well and good to tell people to "think!" instead of following dogma, but what if you are too inexperienced to think clearly about the issue? Ideological p

It's well and good to tell people to "think!" instead of following dogma, but what if you are too inexperienced to think clearly about the issue? Ideological purity makes sense if you face something overwhelmingly complex and don't really know the best way to handle it. By following a set of strict rules, you gain an illusion of control that helps you move forward. It is cargo cult, it is the golden hammer, it is the silver bullet, but it keeps appearing for a reason. I think we should recognize ideological purity for what it is: an aid to help inexperienced programmers keep their sanity. The big problem is that this purity is too often labelled Best Practices, and people are given no incentives (or even permission) to break free from it.