Alchemy, by , makes a really interesting case for 'doing what works' (aka being pragmatic). Sutherland observes that what works sometimes doesn't make rational sense.
The other way he puts this is: "it doesn't pay to be logical if everyone else is logical."
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Love this. This is my number one reason for supporting Constitutional Monarchy, a shrug of the shoulders and "It seems to work" Also heuristics above stats and ofc placebos. How often do you get to the doctor's and sheepishly have to say, uhm well it really hurt before I called.
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It's a popular concept in branding — When everybody zigs, you zag. The importance of differentiating yourself from your competitor.
Depending on context, it’s hard to say something works but doesn’t make sense. That’s usually more of a wish than a rational thought.
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In competitive / innovative / uncertain areas it can be observed that the known “best practices” are limited so the most practical best practice is to lean on the unknown and let luck do a lot of the work instead of aiming for logical perfection.