> You need to know a person, personally, to actually be able to gauge what they actually believed. I mean, sure, but at the same time these were public figures

> You need to know a person, personally, to actually be able to gauge what they actually believed. I mean, sure, but at the same time these were public figures and we have ample evidence of what they said, and how they acted. Whether they were putting up a persona or not is irrelevant, as we can only go by whatever someone tells us, and by how they behave. Besides, people can have different personas even among people closest to them. Since we can never know the truth, it's easiest to assume that what someone says aligns with what they think. The historic record is powerful in this way, and the reason why historical figures become myths and legends. Humans are story tellers after all, and once we were able to record stories for future generations, it transformed our culture and catapulted our progress as a civilization. We don't need to "know" someone to learn from their beliefs and ideas.