In R, what exactly is the problem with having variables with the same name as base R functions?

Question

It seems to be generally considered poor programming practise to use variable names that have functions in base R with the same name.

For example, it is tempting to

Answer 1

I think the problem is when people use these functions in global environment and can cause frustration due to some unexpected error you should not be getting. Imagine you just ran a reproducible example (maybe pretty lengthy one) that overwrote one of the function you're using in your simulation that takes ages to get to where you want it and then suddenly it breaks down with a funny error. Using already existing function names for variables in a closed environment (like a function) are removed after the function closes and should not cause harm. Assuming the programmer is aware of all the consequences of such behavior.