Reason distinguishes man from other animals. All action is preceded by thinking. The reasoning employed may be faulty, but, by definition, action is the purposeful attempt to remove uneasiness. It is always an individual, not "society," who thinks. Tradition - primarily through language - allows present actors to incorporate into their own thinking the reasoning of their ancestors. This renders present thinking more productive, just as labor is now more productive because of our inheritance of capital goods created by our forefathers.

Robert Murphy