Speaking as a young man, I always found this counter intuitive and here is why (and this is an argument which has been called many things including cute). Wouldn't following the heard be safe? Suppose I don't really want to change the world, rather I want to enjoy myself. Now following the heard is easy, I do whatever everyone else is doing and have the advantage that I can learn from their mistakes. Now I have a large amount of data on what works and what doesn't so I can pick and choose how I wish to follow the heard. On the other hand I have this gut feeling thing which isn't really based on data and more so on... well nothing tangible really. I just feel it may pay out. Their is a high failure rate in such methods and a high frustration attached to it since like minds are rare. So is it that if I want to change the world I should not follow the herd and should follow if I want to just live?
A wise man learns from the mistakes of others, yes. But you don't have to be doing what everyone else is doing to learn from their mistakes (otherwise you wouldn't be learning from their mistakes, but from your own). Also, if, as you say, you follow others and do what they do it's not really based on data either until you get enough experience to know what works and what doesn't. After that your "data" will be the sum of past experience and observing the successes and failures of others. It's really the same process if you follow your intuition.
I think the misconception is that following your intuition HAS to mean NOT following the herd. That's only true in the sense of making up your mind and choosing what it is you want to do regardless of what other people are doing. If this happens to coincide with the herd's behaviour it doesn't make your behaviour herd-y (=P). The difference is the "why", not the "what". You're acting in a certain way because that's what you decided to do based on, say, intuition, or based on what other people are doing (or a mix of both). What it is you're doing may be exactly the same as what others are doing, but that's secondary. And I should say that living according to your inner voice really isn't that difficult/frustrating. In fact it's somewhat liberating to do what you want to do as figuring out the herd and convincing yourself to follow it takes more mental energy (in my opinion/experience, of course).
Lastly, when talking about "learning what works and what doesn't", it's unlikely that you'll learn about things that really work from those that follow the herd. It's more likely that you'll learn from those who lead the herd - and those people do it by following their inner voice.
Another thought: most of us are not made of the same kind of stuff as Donald Knuth.
Whatever origin you think world-changing inventions or intellectual work has, talent or the right mettle to push yourself extremely hard or whatever, most people do not possess it. I don't. And I think there is much less motivation to "go against the flow" if you are reasonably sure that no great benefit will follow from it.
"The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd; indeed in view of the silliness of the majority of mankind, a widespread belief is more likely to be foolish than sensible." -- Bertrand Russell
tl;dr:
Follow your instinct rather than the herd. Don't do something just because it's trendy. Do it because you believe it's important and will have a long-term impact to the world.
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