Comment by pnt12

Some software gurus really grind my gears, and Robert Martin is one of them. When confronted with bad advice he gave, he's quick to say it's not meant to be taken literally. Then, gurus like Kent Beck, say that you cannot criticize their approaches if you don't implement exactly as they say. So, while this is not exactly a paradox (different people with different opinions), I feel like gurus make their livings on unfalsiable claims while shaping the world of software engineering.

So, some kudos to Robert for accepting criticism and discussing it, but no cigar for downplaying his own advice when confronted - I also recall a different discussion, where someone confronts his statement "you don't practice tdd you're not a professional", and his answer "it was not meant to be taken seriously".

These people had great ideas but they should be more critical of themselves, eg "here's when not to apply this", "here's where to bend this", not "you're doing it wrong" or "don't take it literally".