cargo cult
English edit
Etymology edit
From kago + cult. First used in print by N. M. Bird in a 1945 article.[1]
Noun edit
cargo cult (plural cargo cults)
- Any of several religious movements among the people of Melanesia that anticipate the arrival of material cargo or cultural restoration
- (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[1]:
- “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.”
Derived terms edit
Translations edit
Melanesian religion based upon Western manufactured goods
|
References edit
- ^ Norris Mervyn Bird (1945 November) “Is there a danger of a post-war flare-up among New Guinea natives?”, in Pacific Island Monthly, volume 16, number 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 […]
Further reading edit
cargo cult on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
Portuguese edit
Noun edit
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