‘D”L/R”Z have no mesorah for their theology.’
To the contrary, the idea that everyone needs to learn and not work, and to learn only torah and not secular studies, is explicitly rejected by Chazal and Rambam and both teach that it is a mitzvah to learn at least enough secular knowledge to support oneself. Rambam also mastered science, philosophy, and secular history. Furthermore, Jews attended secular universities in Europe starting in the 15th century, with no objections from rabbis. Sforno earned a medical degree from the University of Rome. Rav Hirsh, Rav Hildesheimer, Rabbi Nathan Marcus Adler, Rabbi David Zvi Hoffmann, Rabbi Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg, and Rav Soloveitchik all were educated in secular universities and they all preceded the modern “everyone must learn Torah and only Torah” derech.
‘As any MO adherent can tell you, R”Z was created by Rabbi A.Y. Kook and further developed by his son and others.’
Actually, MO adherents will *not* tell you that if they are learned. The Mizrachi movement was founded before Rav Kook’s involvement by Rabbi Y. Y. Reines who had a very different derech from Rav Kook and for decades it was led by Rav Soloveitchik whose derech was much more like Rav Reines than Rav Kook.
“But why shouldn’t some gedolei Torah be given the same latitude given to other gedolei Torah in making a psak?”
Back in the day, Rav Soloveitchik z’tz’l was very close to charedi gedolim including the Lubavicher Rebbe z’tz’l, Rabbi Moshe Feinstein z’tz’l, and Rav Kotler z’tz’l. None would ever have permitted their talmidim to express the kind of lashan hara or motzi shem ra that we have seen in this thread. This thread has indeed proven the existence of yeridot hadorot.