(GP here) Its true that we need to be cautious about continuing to exercise our thinking muscles, undoubtedly. Ofc you can do that without using legacy techniques, but each to their own.
Agree (redundant, not obsolete), but there are better tools for the job in terms of the production value gained in terms time and mental energy spent in mastering them. You can certainly think less as tech becomes more powerful in a domain; I wouldn't advise that either.