I think you should strive to understand what is happening under the abstraction, but abstraction is a useful tool. It's a bit like calling something a "crutch".

I think you should strive to understand what is happening under the abstraction, but abstraction is a useful tool. It's a bit like calling something a "crutch". Sounds bad, but what if you have a broken leg? Crutches allow you to get over the problem and make progress. I have to write software that runs on any hardware from any number of vendors and multiple operating systems. Not using abstractions would destroy my effectiveness.