While there is merit in the idea of using the right tool for the job, there is a risk of pigeonholing the job or jobs that a particular tool should, or could, be used for.
What, exactly, is a tool? It's nothing more than a shape, made of materials of some kind, that we use to get things done. It seems to me that it doesn't matter what you do with it, perhaps with the proviso that it doesn't get damaged or its working life isn't dramatically shortened from what would normally be expected. (Using a tool will wear it out, misusing a tool will wear it out quicker, or plain break it.)
It seems to me that batoning is perfectly okay, provided one is sympathetic to the strengths and limitations of the tool. Splitting a 2" log by hitting the back of the knife with another 2" log would seem fine. Driving the knife through a tight knot in well seasoned hardwood by belting the spine with a club hammer is maybe not fine. It's all a matter of degree.