This is a side issue, but it seems to me like this general problem is what is making strict typing so popular. If there were tests and documentation in place a

This is a side issue, but it seems to me like this general problem is what is making strict typing so popular. If there were tests and documentation in place and parameters were being checked then strict typing wouldn't have much benefit because types are just one aspect of making sure the whole system is working as intended. Instead in many cases development is chaos with little if any documentation and testing and strict typing is great because it is the only tie holding the bundle of sticks together.