40k lore is like South Park: either extremely dumb or unexpectedly insightful.

The Cult Mechanicus' raison d'etre is the realization that religion persists across time and space scales that knowledge alone does not. Thus, by making a religion of knowledge you better guarantee its preservation.

Unfortunately, once you divorce doctrine and practice from true understanding, you lose the ability to innovate and cause the occasional holy schism/war.

PS: 20 years ago I told a friend that "software archaeologist" would be a career by the time I die. Should have put money on it.