News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

A comment on Jeffrey Epstein’s Harvard connections show how money can distort research. Parent comment

Re:Jeffrey Epstein’s Harvard connections show how money can ... by darawk on Tuesday August 25, 2020 @01:30AM (#24268364)
Werner Von Braun was an actual nazi. He was also a great scientist. The world is just complicated sometimes.

The idea that all his science funding was an elaborate ruse to insulate himself from prosecution is just not a very well grounded view. His chosen method of insulation was terribly inefficient with respect to time and money. He would have gotten a much better ROI by investing in politicians directly, the fact that he chose to focus more on science than politics makes it pretty clear that he had a genuine interest/passion for it.

I don't see why he can't like science for its own sake and be a child abuser. The two things are not mutually exclusive.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Jeffrey Epstein’s Harvard connections show how money can ... by tptacek on Tuesday August 25, 2020 @01:43AM (#24268413)
Epstein is not a great scientist. In fact, he's not a scientist at all.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Jeffrey Epstein’s Harvard connections show how money can ... by darawk on Tuesday August 25, 2020 @02:05AM (#24268488)
That wasn't my point. My point was that people can simultaneously do evil things and like science.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Jeffrey Epstein’s Harvard connections show how money can ... by jacquesm on Tuesday August 25, 2020 @04:30AM (#24269252)
Have you considered the option that Epstein didn't like science as such but liked the influence and air of respectability that hanging out with scientists and being seen as a supporter gave him? It could easily be a form of whitewashing of his reputation that he would not be able to do otherwise. Nothing spells 'good guy' more clearly than large donations to science and education.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Jeffrey Epstein’s Harvard connections show how money can ... by haffenloher on Tuesday August 25, 2020 @07:44AM (#24270348)
> Werner Von Braun was an actual nazi. He was also a great scientist.

Some recent research suggests he might not have been that great a scientist after all. The story goes that he was an impostor who got to his position mostly due to his influential father and whose main skill was managing others who did the actual work.

Here's a bachelor's thesis from 2018 and an interview with the author - both in German, unfortunately:

https://www.christopherlauer.de/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/C...

https://wrint.de/2019/01/15/wr903-wernher-von-braun/

[ Parent | on HN ]