This is probably why I am an engineer instead of a pure scientist. I want to see something working, and be free to play with it, take it apart, put it back together, combine it with other things I know, etc. I do this with computer programs, with engineering systems, with mathematics. The more I do this in a given area the more intuition I build up and the more easily I can then learn something else from first principles if I need to. But I really do prefer to get my hands dirty first. Other people don't do this -- chalk that up to different learning styles.

I try to guard against cargo-culting (I abhor it).