While more history is always good, I confess that I'm not much moved by the fact that the catch-phrase "cargo cult" missed context. Almost every phrase derived

While more history is always good, I confess that I'm not much moved by the fact that the catch-phrase "cargo cult" missed context. Almost every phrase derived from history misses context. That's how languages work. The real reason to stop using the catch-phrase is that it no longer has much power. When Feynman used it, it grabbed people's attention. It was a way of saying "this is religion, not science". But endless repetition has diluted its effect. Better to just say "practices based on tradition or faith rather than understanding and demonstrated efficacy tend to under-perform", or something in that vein. Or think up a new metaphor. Overused metaphors stop being effective.