I certainly don't agree with this, but that is because my ethics are informed by a culture in which these things are considered bad. I believe there are cultures in which it is the way things are done, and in my readings of earlier centuries their ethics were not ours.
>These and others are major assholery issues, major ego issues.
There is a particular relatively famous programmer that I think of when I think 'asshole programmer', back when I used to go to conferences I would see him get up and tear down medium level programmers during their sessions. I don't want to say his name in case I ever have to confront him, as I like to keep my powder dry. I have met other programmers that were just as big jerks, although without this guy's accomplishments.
Obviously the programmer in question accomplishments pale in comparison to those of Newton. So I believe if I met Newton I would think - what an asshole!! but I would also somehow feel his contributions to the world did something to make up for his social inadequacies. So I guess I'm saying when I get my time machine after checking kill Hitler off my bucket list I probably won't be going to punch Isaac Newton in the nose for second place.
>And we even could avoid whole dicussion here, had people were not insistent on "just a slow to make friends".
Yes we could have avoided whole discussion here, if we just agreed with your viewpoint. But I don't agree, and so the discussion evidently needed to be had.
on edit: also the committee stuff sounds like a lot of the stuff I read about malfeasance in academia so - again sounds like sort of garden variety asshole there.