[whiddershins]

Are we SURE closing questions is that important? Maybe the original article is on to something: if Stack Overflow was built on a more google-like assumption, relevance would influence rankings and visibility of questions/answers/posts ... but there would be less need for outright removal/closing, which is alienating to posters on a human an emotional level.

What is the argument for closing questions ... logistical? Database is too big?

I am sure there are valid reasons, but maybe they should be reexamined in the context of the human cost, and some tweaks could be made.