MENTAL MODEL · M1443

Voodoo Programming

DecidemediumDecision Science

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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

Refers to programmers copying code without understanding the underlying principles, merely because "it seems to work this way" or "that's how the code is written online." Once the code has problems, they can only rely on superstitious attempts (changing this, changing that) to fix it.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

Be wary of knowing the how but not the why. In corporate decision-making, if a policy is implemented because "other companies do it this way" or "it's always been done this way," that is managerial voodoo programming. One must question the underlying logic.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

Refers to copying "working" code or practices without understanding the principles, and when problems arise, relying on blind trial-and-error (changing this, changing that) rather than identifying the root cause; essentially, it is superstitious engineering of "knowing the how but not the why."

MINIMUM ACTION

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Practice this model in one real situation:

For any "copy-paste works" practice, question the underlying principles
establish explainable modification hypotheses before testing
use minimal reproduction to identify root causes
document principles to avoid repeated pitfalls.

Check to track your progress (stored locally)

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Source support: Explicit

link
catb.orghttp://catb.org/jargon/html/V/voodoo-programming.htmlZH · Explicit
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