Then I would ask: why is it that designers almost always have their portfolios looked at when they are getting hired? I think we're being slaves to an illogical social pattern.

For one thing, a visual portfolio can be looked through in the time it would take to dig into one complex method.

In the context of is thread, I read this as, "We're trapped in an illogical social pattern, because we are lazy."

I'd agree with that, but I'd prefer the term "energy conserving."