Most here seem inclined to put as much glass on their .22 field rifles as possible, and, if that flips their respective switches, who am I to object? I actually have tried to champion the use of slim, trim scopes that match slim, trim rifles, so, your question was a refreshing one.
The old adage has been, "You can't hit what you can't see," but "can't see" is a pretty broad description. Any legitimate field target within .22 LR range is certainly visible through even a 4x scope...most can see a squirrel at 150 yards even with their naked eyes. Keep in mind I suffer from keratoconus, which means cone-shaped corneas that leave my vision very blurred without hard contacts, so I run on the very poor side of visual acuity. Still, I would say another adage might be, "Just because you can see it (with your 36X scope on a 6 lbs. sporter), doesn't mean you should try to shoot." In other words, being able to see it doesn't always mean you can hit it, even though the view may tempt you to try.
Now, for shooting targets or load testing from the bench, I also like 24x-36x scopes, but they are mounted on my sporters only temporarily. For permanent use, I love the objective-bell-less Leupold 1.5-5x scope, because it does not interfere with balance, it looks great, and is usually enough in the field. I sometimes put a booster lens on mine to get it to the 2-7x range, and some should be corrected for parallax at rimfire ranges. I also really like the Leupold 3-9x33 EFR, which is parallax correctable at even 15'(!), but that would be on the high side for my tastes on a .22 LR for field shooting. If someone wants to go for a 4-12x or a 4.5-14x scope on a .22 for the field, fine; at least it can be cranked down to the lowest setting. Too, for shooting PDs, sage rats, or other small live targets from a bench with a rimfire, I also recommend a higher magnification scope because the rifle will be fired from a very solid rest, not from shaky field positions.
Lately, I am putting 4.5-14X scopes on some of my centerfire sporters for varmint shooting, but they have a range out to 300 yards or so (.22 Hornet, .218 Bee, and some .17 and .22 wildcats). Again, the effective range is 3 times that of a .22 LR.
A new hobby of shooting sporters from the bench purely for shooting small groups seems to have developed recently. I also love the pursuit of accuracy in sporters, but it just seems to me a very large scope ruins the balance and lines on a sleek sporter designed and crafted to incorporate those lines and that balance. It's kind of like putting large truck tires on a Ferrari; possibly effective for occasional snow, but it should hardly be considered a permanent fixture.
So, that's my rant. All please feel free to dump on me at will.
TBR