"It's a little hard to explain, and I'm sure acolytes of other paradigms have their own philosophies"
Yes, yes they do[1]. Some people (not me) are vehemently, religiously opposed to "modes":
"To promote his preference, as of 2010, Tesler equipped his Subaru automobile with a personalized California license plate with the license number "NO MODES". Along with others, he has also been using the phrase "Don't Mode Me In" for years, as a rally cry to eliminate or reduce modes."
Yes, yes they do[1]. Some people (not me) are vehemently, religiously opposed to "modes":
"To promote his preference, as of 2010, Tesler equipped his Subaru automobile with a personalized California license plate with the license number "NO MODES". Along with others, he has also been using the phrase "Don't Mode Me In" for years, as a rally cry to eliminate or reduce modes."
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Tesler