I never liked the BoS if BS ever since I started Fallout 3 and have been steadily holding my distain for them since their key role in the destruction of the otherwise great Enclave. And while I disagree with some of their policies regarding irradiated humans it is still my opinion that they're the best hope for the wastes.

The Enclave is America becoming what it beheld in Europe over a hundred and thirty years prior to the Great War (which they had a hand in perpetrating BTW). Why is their demise to be lamented?

I wouldn't call annihilating everyone in the wasteland to be the best hope for the wasteland.

As for the Brotherhood, I somewhat consider them to be a bunch of tech hoarders. Although I see their reasons to preserve technology and the "save people from themselves" ideals, however they still use it for their own benefits and to remain a powerful faction in the west and Midwest. Comes to show that they may just be "preserving" technology for themselves. In High Elder Maxson's case, where his aggressive hoarding of technology led to war with the NCR. Overall, I have no real issue with them, but neither do I support them.

As for the Brotherhood in DC, I just don't like them because they're just Bethesda's generic white knights.

The Brotherhood of Steel are an utterly useless faction. They merely collect military weapons for some nebulous purpose, are largely obsolete in the Home Region thanks to the rise of the NCR and really have no grand purpose besides merely existing. Say what you want about most other significant factions but they can at-least be said to have a purpose, something that would actually benefit someone if seen to fruition but what does the Brotherhood bring to people? Even their own people just live these sheltered, ordered lives all toiling for a utterly pointless cause that can never end. In the ending in the Mojave where they make peace with the NCR is mentions that they harass caravans for technology along the roadside? Need I not remind you that this ending doesn't change the Brotherhood of Steel at-all, merely that they are free to pursue their usual activities without threat of being destroyed, which suggests to me that this rather pathetic action of shaking down people is just standard Brotherhood of Steel procedure. What is the point?

I think the BoS in general have a noble aim - preventing war through the confiscation of weapons. I also liked the way the Scribes still seek out pre war knowledge and seek to preserve it, and that was the main reason I was drawn to them in Fallout 3. The problem is that their emphasis on technology leads them to underestimate other weapons and other people, so that they don't provide much practical, reliable aid at all.

I wouldn't say I hate them but I would say I definitely don't follow their ideals. I find their goal to be unrealistic and self-serving.

Except they have completely twisted that purpose and further abuse it themselves. The inherent hypocrisy of their "noble" belief system is made clear when they made with war the NCR over the use of technology.

The only iteration of the Brotherhood which I actually like is the Midwestern Brotherhood, as they have completely abandoned the Western ideology and actually serve to better the wasteland around them by taking in recruits, bringing order to the regions they control, and introducing technology, water, and agriculture to otherwise barren wasteland villages of the Midwest.

Lyons group is just annoying white-knights and the Western Brotherhood are morons.