[asdajksah2123]

Wouldn't it have been more useful to merge duplicates?

Even framing the same question in different ways is useful. If someone posts a Duplicate, adding that to a list of "alternative questions" that is collapsed by default on the original post might have been a better approach.

It also takes away the whole "your question is worthless" dynamic that closing a question raises.

[cpburns2009]

They occasionally merge duplicate questions. The results are awful because half the answers will refer to details not mentioned in the retained question.