In this old essay by Steve Yegge, he has a nice synthesis of static vs dynamic types, but also includes lots of interesting observations on Emacs (one would have to, since static vs. dynamic is almost as old a debate as emacs vs. vi). I liked this quote:
People have observed that Emacs has QWAN1: a nice, organic, comfortable rightness that fits like a pair of old jeans, or a snug warm chair in a library by a fire. It's very right-brain stuff we're talking about here, all touchy and feely and sensitive: exactly the kind of thing that programmers are often so lousy at, so it's no wonder we don't know the recipe for building it into our software. But unlike with UI design, software QWAN can only come from the programmer, who is playing the roles of interior decorator, head chef, and ergonomic consultant for all the programmer-users of said software.