Why is that a disclaimer and why does your comment sound like knocking on something good? If you haven’t watched the documentary “The Internet’s Own Boy” [1], check it out. The amount of harassment (mental and emotional) he faced could also bring most other people to take steps that they never would’ve imagined themselves doing.
It’s very easy to knock down others. But you haven’t lived his life, and you just cannot know how it was for him and what pushed him to take his own life.
Would someone put down any works by Ian Murdock (founder of Debian) because he also took his life?
I find these kind of criticisms, based on some actions of a person who otherwise contributed a lot, very silly and downright insulting in the meanest of ways.
Next time you want to write a disclaimer on Aaron Swartz, you could perhaps describe it as how the FBI and DoJ went too far and killed him in more ways than one.
I enjoyed his writing, but what is wrong with the warning? The analogy with Murdock is wrong - it would apply if Murdock had accidentally erased his own hard drive or something like that. He is giving advice about IT, not life.
Even when he was still alive, I already sometimes felt he is following an ideology that might end up hurting him. I feel the same way about many young people involved in politics. Unfortunately political movements have the tendency to swallow people, and make them give up their lives for the (presumed) greater good rather than their own benefit.
On the other hand, someone here mentioned Viktor Frankl, who had been through a lot worse than what Aaron Swartz faced, and survived. Which one of them is more qualified to give life advice?
Both are qualified to give life advice based on their experiences. In fact, others are also qualified. Good life advice usually stems from struggles that one has gone through. There doesn’t need to be a scale or measure on who is more qualified.
Ad hominem is more about attacking someone's character or motive. Pointing out flaws in someone's skill when they try to teach that skill is a valid argument. No use taking swimming lessons from someone who can't swim.
It’s very easy to knock down others. But you haven’t lived his life, and you just cannot know how it was for him and what pushed him to take his own life.
Would someone put down any works by Ian Murdock (founder of Debian) because he also took his life?
I find these kind of criticisms, based on some actions of a person who otherwise contributed a lot, very silly and downright insulting in the meanest of ways.
Next time you want to write a disclaimer on Aaron Swartz, you could perhaps describe it as how the FBI and DoJ went too far and killed him in more ways than one.
[1]: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Internet%27s_Own_Boy