5 ms·

> idk what to do about all this; it's pretty easy for me to pass on rereading Asimov or MZB anyhow. Then you probably can't read any great books, look at any g

> idk what to do about all this; it's pretty easy for me to pass on rereading Asimov or MZB anyhow. Then you probably can't read any great books, look at any great art, watch any great movie, listen to any great music, laugh with any great comedian, admire any great leader/politician, etc. I hate to break this to you but there really aren't any saints in this world. And if you do find a saint, it just means he was just better at hiding his true self from the world. Can you study physics after learning that Einstein was a racist bigot just like hitler? "It would be a pity if these Chinese supplant all other races. For the likes of us the mere thought is unspeakably dreary." https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2018/06/13/albert-einsteins-1920-s-travel-diaries-contain-shocking-slurs-against-chinese/698448002/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2018/06/13/albert-einste... Einstein worried about the "chinese" ( and by chinese he most likely meant asians ) taking over the world like hitler worried about jews taking over the world. Granted Einstein never did anything about it, though he indirectly helped in the nuking of the "automaton spiritless and obtuse 'chinese' children" in hiroshima and nagasaki. If you were wondering, Newton wasn't any better. Can you enjoy the Christmas Carol knowing that Dickens was a racist bigot? Or maybe you should do what we are all taught in philosophy and the arts and learn to separate the art from the artist. They are not one and the same. You can appreciate the art and despise the artist.

glangdale 7y ago
"what we are all taught in philosophy and the arts" What, exactly, are you talking about? I happen to have done a double major (computer science and philosophy) and don't recall any "separate the art from the artist" unit there. Obviously you can treat the works separately from the author, and sometimes you benefit from placing them in context (I recall the convenient way that each successive empiricist - Hobbes, Locke, Mill iirc - all seemed to land on outcomes awfully convenient to their backers). In any case, your sophomore-level tirade is moot, as really I think Asimov and MZB suck and I've never cared that much for them even before I found that that he was a lech and she was a monster.
- elfexec 7y ago
  > What, exactly, are you talking about? I happen to have done a double major (computer science and philosophy) and don't recall any "separate the art from the artist" unit there. You never took a "philosophy of art" or aesthetics course? You never learned about "art qua art"? I distinctly remember discussing whether artists from tupac to roman polanski should be appreciated, whether their art should be banned, whether they should even be credited, etc. > In any case, your sophomore-level tirade is moot Thanks for the ad hominem. I hope your philosophy course taught you about that.
watwut 7y ago
> Can you study physics after learning that Einstein was a racist bigot just like hitler? Thankfully to us, Einstein was not just like Hitler. Einstein was an asshole to his wife and had few personal flaws, but he very conclusively did not displayed same behavior nor same opinions as Hitler. Einstein had also some good redeeming qualities like pretty strong anti-racism.

glangdale 7y ago

"what we are all taught in philosophy and the arts" What, exactly, are you talking about? I happen to have done a double major (computer science and philosophy) and don't recall any "separate the art from the artist" unit there. Obviously you can treat the works separately from the author, and sometimes you benefit from placing them in context (I recall the convenient way that each successive empiricist - Hobbes, Locke, Mill iirc - all seemed to land on outcomes awfully convenient to their backers). In any case, your sophomore-level tirade is moot, as really I think Asimov and MZB suck and I've never cared that much for them even before I found that that he was a lech and she was a monster.

elfexec 7y ago
> What, exactly, are you talking about? I happen to have done a double major (computer science and philosophy) and don't recall any "separate the art from the artist" unit there. You never took a "philosophy of art" or aesthetics course? You never learned about "art qua art"? I distinctly remember discussing whether artists from tupac to roman polanski should be appreciated, whether their art should be banned, whether they should even be credited, etc. > In any case, your sophomore-level tirade is moot Thanks for the ad hominem. I hope your philosophy course taught you about that.

watwut 7y ago

> Can you study physics after learning that Einstein was a racist bigot just like hitler? Thankfully to us, Einstein was not just like Hitler. Einstein was an asshole to his wife and had few personal flaws, but he very conclusively did not displayed same behavior nor same opinions as Hitler. Einstein had also some good redeeming qualities like pretty strong anti-racism.