Chicken or the Egg?

I am a member of an online group that helps people interested in learning basic photography find resources that help answer their questions.  Recently, a veteran photographer posted a topic raising this question:    

What is essential in basic photography?

Is it how to take a better photo?  Or how and why does my camera function?  In my opinion, it is both, but more and more, I feel like there is a movement away from “all that technical stuff” to point/shoot/photoshop.  And when growth ceases to occur— upgrade because that must be the problem.

My response: