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You may recognize the George Bernard Shaw quote. The rest of it is: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.

From WSJ.com: Venture Capital Dispatch Turning Unreasonable Ideas Into Reality

It started with 284 unreasonable ideas. Those were whittled down to 42 unreasonable ideas. In the end, 25 such ideas may become a reality thanks to the Unreasonable Institute – a 10-week incubator for entrepreneurs who aim to make a difference in society.

The project of Rafael Smith, whose idea is to produce emergency shelters that provide humane living conditions to refugees. Smith is one of 42 finalists for the Unreasonable Institute’s 10-week incubator program.

The incubator’s name, which carries an adjective that might usually turn investors away, is inspired by the George Bernard Shaw quote, ‘The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.’

The Unreasonable Institute will unite 25 entrepreneurs from around the world to attend an intensive 10-week summer training program. Among the 42 finalists, announced today, are a computer engineer from Brazil creating devices that will make blind people more marketable for jobs and an MIT graduate from Pakistan working to create heat saving insulation for shanty town homes, thus reducing indoor air pollution and money spent on heating for their poor inhabitants.

At the end of the 10 weeks, the entrepreneurs are connected with socially responsible venture firms that might be interested in investing. One firm, Atlanta-based Gray Ghost Ventures, which invests in business that improve low-income communities, is setting aside $150,000 for a fund with a twist. The 25 entrepreneurs will decide which companies, up to four of them, will get the money from the “Unreasonable Village Fund.”,

Imagine that – the entrepreneurs decide which, out of 25, will receive an investment from Gray Ghost Ventures. OK, I suppose that seems like an appropriately liberal approach given the social-good orientation of the Unreasonable Institute’s mission.

But it’s interesting food for thought. Would a group of entrepreneurs make better investment decisions than a VC firm or angel group? Would 25 entrepreneurs choose to “vote” against themselves, if there could be only 4 winners? And would entrepreneurs make good investment decisions? Hard to say – group dynamics sometimes lead to surprisingly rational decision-making.

But what am I thinking – entrepreneurs making investment decisions for angel groups and professional venture capitalists? The tail wagging the dog? That’s clearly unreasonable.