Ooh, interesting. I like this too.
I think that's part of the point, really. The Doctor didn't used to do this, and now he does. That's part of the problem, and River points it out to him: "Back when you started, would you have ever believed you would turn into this?"
Actually there was a re-run of "The Eleventh Hour" on last night so I watched it through again. And really there are hints of this kind of issue there from the start. On his first day, 11 didn't just stop the Atraxi destroying Earth - as Fat One specifically reminisces, he called them back just to scold them. Amy and Rory both thought this was a bit crazy at the time. He used the power of his reputation to scare them. That's the precise opposite of what 10 did on his first day - 10 brought down Harriet Jones' supposedly utopian government (according to 9) rather than do exactly what 11 did right here.
I think what they're getting at here is that the Doctor used to be about exploring, and if he happened to come across some bad guys in his travels, he'd put the situation right, and then carry on his way. The exploring was his focus. But as things moved on, he changed his focus. Perhaps starting as early as 7, the Doctor shifted from just stopping the bad guys if he happened to find some, to actively seeking them out to be stopped, and well, a bit of exploration is always nice along the way, but that's not really the focus. And that is what has led to the current situation.
As I've said, I think this is absolutely deliberate on the part of the writers, and in fact if you look at the details (in a way that the vast majority of viewers probably don't), they have played fair with us, as regards slowly leading us up to this point and showing a natural progression. This "new attitude" of the Doctor's hasn't just come out of nowhere.
In a way, I feel like the audience is also "to blame." In the 21st century, TV viewers expect a bit more flash and bang with their TV. A crotchety old man bobbling along explaining about The Aztecs to children isn't the way things are done these days - viewers wouldn't watch it. So the writers moved Doctor Who in a more action-mystery direction, to suit what viewers expect (I'm talking about the general public here, not hardcore Who fans necessarily). And having done that, the writers are now showing us that while that might be a good idea for the show, it's not a good idea for the character, and it will have consequences.
