TLDR: Hobo Johnson did a musical rendition of some select quotes from the article. If the article is too cumbersome to read, listen to the song. It gets a lot of the point across.

  • yesman@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    I like Einstein and Socialism! But Einstein’s opinion on politics, while interesting, carries no special weight. On matters of mathematics and physics Einstein carries the authority of his knowledge. On matters of politics he’s just another dude.

    • king_comrade@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      Einstein literally addresses that in his opening statement…
      ‘Is it advisable for one who is not an expert on economic and social issues to express views on the subject of socialism? I believe for a number of reasons that it is.’.
      Give it a read, it won’t take long.

    • curbstickle@anarchist.nexus
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      2 days ago

      So is everyone.

      Saying “he’s just another dude” as if his opinions on politics don’t matter is that same as saying your opinion (or my opinion) doesn’t matter. Its saying only politicians opinions matter, which is about the polar opposite of reality.

      • surewhynotlem@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        To be fair, there’s a chance that some random Lemming is more studied on leftist teachings than Einstein.

        • yeahiknow3@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          2 days ago

          The phrase “studied on leftist teachings,” as if it’s some kind of religion or cultist ideology, undercuts your claim.

          The ability to entertain an idea without adopting it, intelligence, curiosity, and knowledge are inimical to ideological purity.

    • JustAnotherKay@lemmy.worldOP
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      1 day ago

      I honestly don’t care who wrote it. Point is an article was written 75 god damn years ago which specifically denounces the Technocracy proposed mere weeks ago. The article is well written, he doesn’t claim to be all-knowing because he’s good at math, he claims that he has opinions. They happen to be opinions that make a lot of sense.

      TLDR: Hobo Johnson did a musical rendition of some select quotes from the article. If the article is too cumbersome to read, listen to the song. It gets a lot of the point across.

      ETA: Einstein lived through the rise of Nazi Germany. He has direct experience in a situation like ours, more than most living Americans. At least in this way, he is more than just some dude on this subject. He has seen a mock-socialism be attempted and failed, and had ideas about how to handle those failures.