Yes, You Should Judge a Book By Its Cover

What do you think the cover is there for?

Our age is one in which the powers in place seek to eliminate all constraints on human behavior, trying to pass every destructive and hedonistic life choice as valid and acceptable. Freed from the supposedly tyrannical constraints of religious morality —or any kind of morality for that matter— men are now free to roam the polluted streets of the cities they inhabit without having to care about the image they present.

After all, who are you to judge?

After all, a man's appearance means nothing, right?

After all, what matters is what's on the inside, haven't you heard?

Essential Tool For Survival

We have a God-given capacity for rationality and analysis, but a part of us is still deeply instinctual. This means that we are hardwired to judge, evaluate, and assess people, things and events as quickly as possible, and measure what they project against certain traits that have been, historically speaking, determinants of worth, trust, safety, or any other values that could be critical for our survival.

The modern obsession with "not judging anyone before you get to know them" is a backwards concept. Judging and assessing quickly is a survival trait. It's perfectly reasonable to evaluate someone based on the first impression that they give. So why are we being told not to judge anyone by the image they choose to present?