My Increasing Wariness of Dogmatism

css-tricks.com

Hardly a day goes by I don't see a dogmatic statement about the web.

Here’s a short list:

Never use more than two fonts on a page
Stop using jQuery
Every webpage should be responsive
The cascade is evil
Never style with IDs
Never use CSS’s @import
Never use CSS’s * selector

But nothing is wrong with people spouting off opinions right?

I see ideas that start as dogmatic claims spread. I've heard people regurgitate a dogmatic statement years after I've felt like the industry had moved on. When you happen to agree with them, they feel good. They feel powerful. They feel like something you want to get behind and spread yourself. They don't have that wishy-washy "it depends" feeling that doesn't provide hard and fast answers.

However:

Everyone's situation is different than yours. You can't know everything. There is endless gray area.

Chris argues we should perhaps be a little more verbose in our opinions:

It's certainly wordier to avoid dogma when you're trying to make a point. But it's more honest. It's more clear. It's showing empathy for people out there doing things different. It makes it easier for others to empathize with you.