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Comment by putaside | Hacker News Reader

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...

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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.

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