To talk about "monolithic" systems and "UNIX philosophy" is to not really understand. It's an oft-made mistake, even just considering systemd alone.

* https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19024256

* https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13390245

The actual ideas in computing when it comes to modular systems are cohesion and coupling. Modular systems should have high cohesion and low coupling.

The objection to leftpad levels of granularity is that it is high coupling, lots of little modules inevitably requiring one another in large numbers and complex ways. And a lack of any grouping at all is actually a lack of any sort of cohesion, coincidental or otherwise.