The most reasonable of persons knows that reasoning is best. They "think before they act." Theirs is a perfectly worthwhile position, but have you noticed how much and what kind of reasoning occupies the academy? Set aside the posturing and the politics that compel academics to listen to their friends and to those to whom they must listen. If someone were to reason about a topic and come to a conclusion only to find themselves reassessing and re-concluding so regularly that their subject becomes so unclear as to be unrecognizable as their subject, then the process approaches the limited mindlessness that they wish to avoid. That is not to say that reasoning is always bad. It must be tempered with caution, even so much more than one suspects.
The office with a view and the wine-and-cheese gatherings are all very enjoyable, as long as one is accepted, but there is a barrier placed around that office and the wine tastes bland, not always but often.