Cargo cult

Definition: Ritualized practices that imitate other practices only in their superficial form – performed without understanding their inner function or meaning – and therefore unable to fulfill their intended function.

• Following an established method or practice and understanding the underlying principles – like copying a known working example (including established best practices) is legitimate learning, not a cargo cult.
• The ritualization is itself the function: some practices are deliberately ritualized (e.g., pilots' checklists, standard operating procedures) precisely to make them reliable.
• The term is used neutrally to describe a phenomenon (e.g., in anthropology or software engineering) without implying that the people involved are “primitive” or lacking in understanding.

• A text, study, or practice imitates only the outer form of an authoritative method without its core function – e.g., a “study” designed to confirm a pre-set position; code copied without understanding what it does; process steps (e.g., Scrum ceremonies) performed as ritual without their purpose.
• The borrowed appearance of rigor is used as a substitute for actual rigor – the argument's persuasive force rests on the outward trappings of authority (see appeal to authority).
• The term “cargo cult” is used to mock the (indigenous) people it was named after, or to imply that they lacked understanding – can have racist implications; in such cases, the more neutral term “simulacrum” should be preferred.

• Origin: The term comes from Melanesian “cargo cults” – post-WWII rituals imitating the appearance of airports, harbors, radio masts, and marshaller gestures after contact with Western visitors.
• Distinction from simulacrum: “Cargo cult” refers primarily to patterns of behavior and action; “simulacrum” refers to things or reified ideas/concepts. The meanings overlap significantly – when in doubt, prefer “simulacrum” as the more neutral term (the “cargo cult” label can carry a racist connotation of “primitive” imitation).
• Most common application: “Cargo cult science” – the imitation of the outward form of scientific publications (footnotes, citations, complex statistics, internal peer review) without adapting scientific methodology. It is not limited to pseudoscience; it also occurs, more subtly, in mainstream science.
• Common driver: Goodhart's law – when metrics (e.g., publication counts) become goals, the form of the work is optimized over its function. The social framework whose appearance cargo cult science can exploit is described by Merton's norms of science.
• Software engineering: “Cargo cult programming” is a common label for copy-pasting code without understanding, “shotgun debugging” (random changes until something works), and applying tools or design patterns as “best practice” without checking whether they fit the context.
• Not an accusation: Pointing out cargo cult tendencies is not a license to accuse the author of dishonest motives (see appeal to motive). It is a reminder to scrutinize the method and motivation of a publication – especially when its results conveniently confirm pre-existing beliefs.

• Simulacrum – an imitation that reproduces the superficial appearance of the original but lacks its essential functional aspects. Ask: is the target of the imitation behavior/action (→ cargo cult) or a thing/representation (→ simulacrum)? When in doubt, prefer “simulacrum” (more neutral).
• Appeal to authority – cargo cult science borrows the appearance of authority; the fallacy is when the argument's force rests on that borrowed appearance. Ask: is the text imitating the form of an authoritative method without its function (→ cargo cult), or is it resting on the status of its source (→ appeal to authority)?
• Jargon – cargo cult publications often use dense, obscure language; but jargon is about language used to confuse or self-elevate, while cargo cult is about form without function. Ask: is the problem the terminology (→ jargon) or the lack of actual method behind the form (→ cargo cult)?

Input: “A new study confirms our position – 47 footnotes, a p-value of 0.04, and a 200-page appendix.”
Output: Footnotes, p-values, and appendices are the form of science, not its function. If the study was made to confirm a pre-set position (or was commissioned to influence a discussion), it exhibits cargo cult science. Scrutinize the method, data, and motivation – not the trappings.

Input: “I copied the authentication config from a Stack Overflow answer. It works on my machine, so it should be secure.”
Output: Code copied without understanding what it does, or when it applies, is likely to be missing essential aspects (edge cases, security checks). Imitating the appearance of a working solution does not transfer its function.

Input: “We now hold daily stand-ups, write user stories, and do retrospectives – so our development process is agile.”
Output: Performing the rituals of agile development without their underlying purpose (fast feedback, adaptation, working software) is a cargo cult. The ceremonies are a means to an end, not the end itself.

Input: “The islanders built a fake runway out of driftwood – a classic cargo cult, they really don't get it.”
Output: Using “cargo cult” to imply that the people involved are “primitive” or lacking in understanding repeats the racist connotation the term carries. Prefer the more neutral “simulacrum”: an imitation that reproduces the appearance of the original but lacks its function.

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