Choice is better than "one true way".
That said, I don't take the UNIX philosophy to be gospel, and frankly, very little of the Linux kernel or desktop really seems to. That seems to be closer to what the *BSD derivatives would steer towards. I just want a functional operating system, and the specific ideology or design of packages isn't too big of a concern so as long as the end result seems solid.
Completely Agree
>> [...] the specific ideology or design of packages isn't too big of a concern so as long as the end result seems solid.
The framework of thinking, while I agree is not gospel, is helpful in guiding design thinking towards a shared goal.
You don't want everyone wasting too much time handrolling slightly-differing monstrosities instead of a cohesive design if it's not a business or engineering differentiator.