cargo cult

English

First used in print by N. M. Bird in a 1945 article.[1]

cargo cult (plural cargo cults)

Any of several unorthodox religious movements among the people of Melanesia based upon Western manufactured goods.
(figuratively, also attributive) Any of several philosophies, practices or pseudosciences that are not rooted in experiment, often characterized by an unreflected and ritualistic approach.
cargo cult science

cargo cult software engineering
- 2019 May 2, Nellie Bowles, “Jack Dorsey Is Gwyneth Paltrow for Silicon Valley”, in New York Times‎:
  “People should slow down and understand what they’re trying to optimize for before just following Jack,” Mr. Woo said. “You don’t want to be in a cargo cult type thing.”

Melanesian religion based upon Western manufactured goods

Norris Mervyn Bird (November 1945), “Is there a danger of a post-war flare-up among New Guinea natives?”, in Pacific Island Monthly (in English), volume 16, issue 4, Sidney: Pacific Publications, →OCLC, page 69:
Stemming directly from religious teaching of equality and its resulting sense of injustice, is what is generally known as “Vailala Madness” or “Cargo Cult.” […] A native, infected with the disorder, states that he has been visited by a relative long dead, who stated that a great number of ships loaded with “cargo” had been sent by the ancestor of the native for the benefit of the natives […]

cargo cult m (plural cargo cults)

cargo cult (Melanesian religion based upon Western manufactured goods)
Synonyms: culto à carga, culto de carga, culto da carga

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