Golden Hammers vs Silver Bullets?

The old wiki page on Golden Hammers has popped up on reddit. One commentator suggests that a golden hammer seems to be the same as a silver bullet.

Probably. But I find the two phrases suggestive when placed side-by-side. To me, it seems as if a golden hammer is a tool that's very familiar, simple to apply, and words best on things within striking distance: everyday problems. All these screws sticking out all over, bam, bam, bam. A golden hammer is something we already have, and it worked great lots of time before, so lets carry on using it for whatever comes next.

A silver bullet, on the other hand, seems like something that is directed in from the outside. It is a projectile, the sender has no control over it once launched. The silver bullet is new and alien. It requires complex tooling to make it work. It is deployed against hairy monsters that jump out at you. Nothing ever worked on them before, maybe the silver bullet will?

A golden hammer, then, would be the over-applied old tool of a worker who doesn't learn new ones. The silver bullet is the disengaged outsider's agent of violent change. 

I love having new distinctions to play with.

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