Larry,

A lot of us do use our heads to think, but we start from the basis of human nature as revealed by history, not as we would wish it to be. You can tout the benefits of reason all you want, but you can't sell it to unreasonable people and the unreasonable — for reasons of laziness, stupidity, other priorities or whatever — will always outnumber those actually capable of and willing to think.

I spent a few years of my life — from about age 20 to 26 — making the same arguments you are. Then I realized the difference between the empirical and the normative worlds and decided to live in the empirical. You should give it a try. Calls for making some nasty choices occasionally, but at least you get to actually DO something, rather than sit around and whine that things should be better.

cheers,

david