I believe a lot of people we now see as noble were just the right person in the right place at the right time, and the more we dig in today, in hindsight, the easier to see their personal flaws.

A few others, like Einstein, where just the right person, period. To see such a sound point of view coming from a person writing at a time where everything was pointing on the other direction... pretty amazing.

Another interpretation of finding that people we perceive as noble turn out to have flaws might be that noble people are people, and people have flaws. If anything, being flawless would actually take away from their success since they wouldn't be dealing with the same crap as the rest of us.

Einstein appears to have been a big-time philanderer, for example. Doesn't detract from his contributions to our society in my view.

People who think philandering is a flaw are not as enlightened as Einstein was.

Yeah, like his wives. Stupid wives.

Guess I pity his wife then, being both unenlightened and cheated on.

>I believe a lot of people we now see as noble were just the right person in the right place at the right time, and the more we dig in today, in hindsight, the easier to see their personal flaws.

Noble or not, people have flaws.

What's important about them isn't their flaws (which millions share) but their unique insights (which millions don't share).

Well, I can always flaunt some unique flaws.

I think in the article he himself described why he had a different point of view. He was indeed an outsider. His mind was not shaped by past generations, because there were no slaves and thus very few black people in Germany.

Regarding his personal life, Einstein wasn't the most devoted lover to his wives/lovers etc. Not everyone (including me) counts that as a moral failing but some do.

Isn't it usually said that Einstein betrayed his wife? That's pretty horrible to me, no matter how "right" (in your opinion and mine) he was about other things.

You can be right about some things and wrong about others. Being in the wrong once doesn't make you a bad person. It just means you're one of us.

Einstein was probably better at science than at debating social racial issues. Likewise, nobody should give more weight to Einstein's opinion on God, bees [1], or the Jews [2], than on anybody else's.

[1] http://www.snopes.com/quotes/einstein/bees.asp

[2] https://archive.org/details/AlbertEinsteinLetterToTheNewYork...

I can't but admire his intellect in other aspects as well.

His opposition against Likud and nuanced reservations against the idea of a Jewish state seem so wise in retrospect.

Einstein signed a letter that strongly criticised an emerging political party in Israel. How is that "an opinion on Jews"?

Because the political party (and the signers) were comprised of Jewish people? I'm perfectly fine if you read "Israelis" there (or "early Jewish politicians"), or find a different reference closer to "an opinion on Jews", as long as it not detracts from the point I was making: Einstein's dated opinion on racial issues is as relevant as Stallman's opinion on the fashion industry. Interesting? Sure. But relevant? No. It's a fallacy to think that smart people have smart opinions on everything they are not an expert in. It's a misplaced appeal to authority. It's a proxy submission to have HN discuss the recent events, and I doubt HN can make sensible points on this subject, as much as HN can make sensible points on women in technology.

Yes, it could have totally gone the other way too. There are smart domain experts that are very naive, politically incorrect, racist, or intolerant of domains they have less expertise in.

Einstein points out that the humanity of slaves has always been belittled. Maybe it's a psychological switch in the masters brain - enslaving equal creatures would be just evil and no one wants to be evil.

I think pointing out the root cause of the stigmatization of a segment of a society is a very good way to start a social discussion in the modern age.

Unless we as a species are to face our limitations and prejudices with open minds I fear there will be much anguish in the future history of mankind as well.