Fundamentalism is flawed. It simply can not work. Why? Because it at it’s very core, fundamentalism is an ideology that ignores change while promoting stagnance. It ignores progress. Fundamentalism, by definition, can not evolve.
Let’s think about that for a second.
Religion is one obvious example. If we are talking about religious beliefs, fundamentalism would mean strict adherence to the oldest teachings of their particular belief. For Christians, that would include killing your own children when they misbehave! I don’t know any Christians — even fundamentalists — who are willing to do that.
Another obvious example is conservative politics. If we were talking about government, fundamentalism would mean strict adherence to the documents upon which your government was founded. For Americans, that would mean that African-American people were only 3/5 of a person, and women couldn’t vote. Good luck with that platform!
And why stop there? Let’s also apply fundamentalism to sports. It would mean that football players wore leather hats and no pads, and that boxers didn’t have gloves. If you’re a fundamentalist, you’ll toss out your fancy new Ping golf clubs. A true fundamentalist would throw away the Nike running suit and get back to jogging nude, or perhaps with a well-placed fig leaf.
Examples like these really start to make it clear how ridiculous fundamentalism sounds. And yet fundamentalism is well-represented in every aspect of life. Why is that?
In technology, like everywhere else, fundamentalists hold everything back. Fundamentalist programmers refuse to learn the new technologies — often until it’s too late. Fundamentalist managers refuse to accept new technologies. And fundamentalist corporations fail to adapt when the world changes.
But believe me… the world changes. New companies spring up with new technology. Then dozens of companies. Then hundreds. And one day, you realize that you’ve been holding out too long, and you’re not competitive any more. You’re stuck catching up, while other people innovate.