Who said that anyone shouldn’t look at his views from later in life? Certainly not me.
I wrote “but I do think we gain something by looking at what historical icons actually were and how they changed.”
I think looking at the whole person is valuable when looking at someone like Einstein (or Churchill, or Lincoln, or Mandela) instead of defining them by a narrow slice of their lives. I think Einstein’s later stance against racism should be looked at in the context of an evolving view through his life, as opposed to him springing fully ideologically formed to adorn dorm room walls.
(edited to tone down snark–be the change you want to see in the world!)
