Feynman used the term "cargo cult science", and others later used the term "cargo cult programming" to describe this. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargo_cult h

Feynman used the term "cargo cult science", and others later used the term "cargo cult programming" to describe this. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargo_cult http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargo_cult Several weeks ago on HN I came across this slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/olvemaudal/deep-c http://www.slideshare.net/olvemaudal/deep-c which sparked some debate as to the merits of deep, complete understanding of one's environment. I believe that those who do not have a broad understanding invent their own miniature cargo cult to get by -- or perhaps it is that they are willing to cargo cult and therefore do not develop a deep understanding? Whatever the case, it's incredibly common in the world of software.