The real radicalism here isn't mere politeness—it's Einstein's refusal to adjust his intellectual register based on someone's social position. Most people unconsciously code-switch, simplifying or elevating their speech depending on whom they're addressing, which subtly reinforces hierarchies. By speaking the same way to everyone, Einstein treated each person as equally capable of understanding genuine ideas, a posture that says something important: your worth as a conversation partner has nothing to do with your job title. You see this principle tested in our age of Zoom calls, where a plumber and a CEO now sit in the same grid, and we can observe who still unconsciously performs different versions of themselves depending on the participant list.