John. I'm from your generation i.e. B732 as 2nd jet. HS-125 before that. It has been said by many that the automatics are there to allow PF to have better & more relaxed oversight of the operation, perhaps be more accurate & efficient, in some people's eyes, but NOT to replace basic piloting skills. Unfortunately the latter is now true in some places. As was explained to me by a senior trainer, " the objective is for the cadet to use the automatics to position the a/c in landing confit at 1000' then make a manual landing. Ouch.
IMHO the new pilot, even on transition training, but certainly a cadet, should first learn to handle the beast stick & rudder, then add the bells & whistles. That is not being done enough.
Should that philosophy be for the XAA or the airline? In previous companies that philosophy came from the top when CP's were much more active pilots than nowadays. The automatic philosophy seems more prevalent where bean counters rule the roost.