> Not exactly in the spirit of intellectual curiosity HN tries to foster.

I could not disagree more. If you don't see how a comprehensive, warts and all look at the man's life and legacy doesn't add context and foster curiosity, I'm not even sure what to tell you.

It didn't derail the conversation, it expanded it. There's still plenty of discussion about the lectures. This isn't even particularly close to the top of the thread.

What's opposed to curious discussion is knee jerk reactions and middlebrow dismissals.