Unfortunately, ideas don’t have many merits to consider in the pure abstract (ok, they do, but they’re not the important merits. The important consideration is how well it works for decisions you are likely to face). You need to evaluate applications of ideas, as embodied by actions and consequences.
For that evaluation, the actions of people who most strongly espouse an idea are a data point to the utility of the idea.
I think it might be wise to not trust the stated principles of people who commit large-scale frauds.
It doesn’t matter who said an idea. I’d rather just consider each idea on its own merits
Unfortunately, ideas don’t have many merits to consider in the pure abstract (ok, they do, but they’re not the important merits. The important consideration is how well it works for decisions you are likely to face). You need to evaluate applications of ideas, as embodied by actions and consequences.
For that evaluation, the actions of people who most strongly espouse an idea are a data point to the utility of the idea.
Applying the idea to the world tends to reveal merits.