Running the risk of being an armchair psychologist, I think it's pretty well established that RMS likely falls somewhere on the autism spectrum, or at least has some sort of behavioral condition that leads to behavior like this, as well as his documented social quirks.
Which is to say that I think he's probably mentally stable, but a bit strange by everyday standards.
But punching himself in the head? I knew Stallman was weird as we all did and that yeah, he's probably got some disorder but when he's punching himself in the head publicly you can't help but wonder if maybe we should reevaluate our faith in his ideas. Having a mental disorder does not automatically invalidate anything he's ever promoted or done but for me personally, I'd ask myself whether the next idea he promotes is coming from a place of logic or if it's his condition talking. People don't seem to really question him as it is and if there really is something more going on with him maybe that should happen more? Because people are so sensitive when talking about Stallman I have to make a disclaimer: I didn't say he's stupid or wrong or crazy. I'm just wondering how stable the guy is and his public reaction to what happened gives me just cause. I'd wonder the same thing no matter who it was.
[...] when he's punching himself in the head publicly you
can't help but wonder if maybe we should reevaluate our
faith in his ideas [...]
We should reevaluate everyone's ideas then (which is probably just as well), because nobody is perfect. Most people have some deeply-seated issues, very successful and very public people almost always have even harsher personal problems. It's what enables them to stand out, to move further than most of us. So, yes, of course RMS has some kind of disorder, most entrepreneurs have some kind of disorder, most CEOs probably too.
There is a quote from the West Wing that rings in my ears whenever a public figure shows some kind of flaw and someone like you inevitably demands that flaw invalidates everything they stand for:
Because we’re all broken, every single one of us, and yet we pretend that we’re not. We all live lives of imperfection and yet we cling to this fantasy that there’s this perfect life and that our leaders should embody it. But if we expect our leaders to live on some higher moral plane than the rest of us, well we’re just asking to be deceived.
>>he's probably got some disorder but when he's punching himself in the head publicly you can't help but wonder if maybe we should reevaluate our faith in his ideas
That's a bit of a leap of faith from a second hand account from a comment on a blog that related the event. I think it's safer to assume for now that the person who made the comment is not a native speaker (due to his name, and, obviously, being present at the talk) and is describing someone acting out the "stupid, stupid! stupid. How could I be so careless!" routine combined with hitting your own head, which I believe is a fairly common way to express exasperation, as "punching himself in the head".
I guess you should evaluate his ideas for yourself, without bringing his mental state into it. If you disagree with Stallman, so be it, lots of people do for good reasons. But evaluate his ideas, not his personality because his personality should not affect whether you agree with him or not.
>> People don't seem to really question him as it is...
I'm not sure with whom or where you hang out, but I'd say Stallman is one of the most controversial figures in the world of software. Even people who mostly agree with his viewpoints often say he takes it too far.
Which is to say that I think he's probably mentally stable, but a bit strange by everyday standards.