Resistance

GERMAR RUDOLF, RESISTANCE IS OBLIGATORYMy PhD course, however, was violently aborted due to governmentalpersecution. Galilei’s book bears the title Dialogue Concerning the TwoChief World Systems, Ptolemaic and Copernican, hence is a juxtapositionof the heliocentric and the geocentric world view. Galilei was sentencedto a lifelong house arrest, where he enjoyed many privileges, notat least because the pope of his time was a friend of his. That was certainlymore pleasant than what you are threatening me with here, that is:a Spartan cell, cut off from the world. Galilei’s main adversary was, aswe all know, the Catholic Church. I deliberately leave open who mymain adversary is.This juxtaposition is more than just an interesting game. Becausewhat came to an end with the persecution of Galilei was nothing lessthan the intellectual predominance of Italy in Europe, which this countryhad carved out for itself in all areas of culture and science during therenaissance. When the inquisition moved into Italy together with theSpaniards, intellectual freedom in this country was choked little by little.Hence the center of gravity of intellectual life subsequently movedto the Protestant north of Europe, whither the arm of the “Holy Inquisition”could not reach, mainly to Germany and England. These twocountries were the intellectually dominating countries for the next threehundred years, until they battered each other’s skulls during the twoworld wars.Today Germany finds herself in a similar situation as Italy at thetime of Galilei. I have quoted here Jens Jessen writing in Die Zeit how“political correctness” kills the intellectual life in Germany, and GüntherBertram, who I have copiously quoted earlier, has determined thatin the meantime the Auschwitz taboo has generated many “satellite taboos”poisoning the political and intellectual climate. In 1994 I publisheda contribution in an anthology in which I demonstrated how thisüber-taboo paralyzes many scientific fields. 278Hence, in my view this trial is not so much about me and my books.This trial is a kind of watershed. Here it will be decided whether inGermany it will be possible again in the future to maintain or regain aleading position on the intellectual, cultural and scientific level, orwhether Germany will descend to a second-rate or even third-rate coun-278 See my contribution “Wissenschaft und ethische Verantwortung” (Science and Ethical Responsibility)in: Andreas Molau (ed.), Opposition für Deutschland, Druffel-Verlag, Berg amStarnberger See 1995, pp. 260-288.217