[lispm]

> I think one of the reasons recursion is often emphasized in relation to Lisp is because one of Lisp's core data structures, the linked list, can be defined inductively

Lisp was used in computer science education to teach "recursion". We are not talking about software engineering, but learning new ways to think about programming. That can be seen in SICP, which is not a Lisp/Scheme text, but a computer science education book, teaching students ways to think, from the basics upwards.

Personally I would not use recursion in programs everywhaere, unless the recursive solution is somewhat easier to think about. Typically I would use a higher order function or some extended loop construct.