Chris Corrigan stopped by and added this comment to my complaint about lists.

Why lists don't work:

1 They gloss over depth.
2 They simplify solutions
3 They inhibit learning
4 They devalue introspection
5 They train users to expect easy answers
6 They provide "solutions" to "problems" rather than analysis for situations.
7 They falsely elevate the list maker to "expert"
8 They are usually offered too earnestly

Needless to say, there is another side to the story and there are lots of contexts in which lists are jolly good things. There were a lot of checklists when I learnt to fly and I'm very much in favour of pilots using them. My point is that there are many contexts in which lists become counter productive for all the reasons Chris states.