The only problem I see with relying on syntax highlighting is that it lets you manage superficial complexity and clerical details, but doesn’t address fundament

The only problem I see with relying on syntax highlighting is that it lets you manage superficial complexity and clerical details, but doesn’t address fundamental complexity. What you can get in extreme cases is heinous code that’s only tolerable to read with highlighting. In the vast majority of cases, though, it’s helpful to ensure basic superficial correctness so that you can focus on details that actually matter. And people who program for any nontrivial amount of time develop very good attention to detail anyway.