I personally think along the lines of what I think Ken is suggesting, that adhering to traditional systems is better than relying on an engineer's calculations. We have at our disposal the collective knowledge of thousands of years of carpenters, they have through trial and error figured out what works and what doesnt, and so forth.
As much as is possible, I think we should rely on the traditional wisdom of the carpenters of the past, which is more freely available to us today than ever it was before.
In a way, this system replaces the engineer.
And in another way, the compass replaces the engineer if you know how to use it.

DLB